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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23632066">Born Lucky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tubendo/pseuds/tubendo'>tubendo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avatar Hunter Azula, Azula is understandably worse, Conspiracy, Dark, Death in Childbirth, Family Issues, Gen, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Lu Ten tries to be a big brother, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai is actually never the Fire Lord, Zuko is fucking insane, that doesn't make anything better though</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 05:54:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>331,995</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23632066</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tubendo/pseuds/tubendo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Fire Lord Azulon once was told that bringing together the bloodlines of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin would create great firebenders for generations to come. However, he misunderstood at what cost this blessing would come to his family and to himself personally. The cost of power is high, and the cost of perfection is ever higher.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula &amp; Iroh (Avatar), Azula &amp; Lu Ten, Azula &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Iroh &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Lu Ten &amp; Zuko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>524</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Spark In Her Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prince Ozai did not simply think himself to be a great firebender- he knew he was one. The sweltering evening sun still hung above him in the sky, and he felt its energy course through him; it made him sweat, and it made him pant, but that was nothing compared to the power it provided. It gave him the energy to channel his emotions into a powerful fire blast as he kicked and punched at the numerous dummies that surrounded him. His goatee flicked through the air as he spun around, sending a powerful kick of flames into a dummy, throwing it down to the ground. He then sent out a number of articulate jabs, striking each of the dummies in their heads, before he moved back into form, taking a deep breath. He knew that he could be faster and more ferocious, but even he could tire after a good hour of training exercises.</p><p>"Your highness! You have been called to the infirmary!" he heard a servant call out to him; Ozai rolled his eyes, not wanting to be interrupted from his training.</p><p>The look on the servants face, panicked and flustered, suggested the issue might have been a little more serious than he first presumed; he knew that his wife was in labour, but he was sure she would not be giving birth until nightfall. He remembered how long and tedious her labour with Zuko had been, so with their next child, he had guessed that it would be similar.</p><p>"What is it? Has the child been born?" he asked, the servant shaking his head.</p><p>"No, your highness. There've been some complications, but the doctor says the child will arrive very soon." he explained, the Prince stepping closer as he thought over his words.</p><p>"What kind of complications?" he raised a brow, the servant stepping back with fear; the Prince's fists were drawn out, as if he were ready to set the servant alight- he didn't have that intention, but that didn't mean that he wasn't growing more concerned by the moment.</p><p>"Bleeding, my Prince." he explained it simply, "Your wife has lost a lot of blood."</p><p>Ozai desired to restrain his frustrations, but he could not hold himself back, his open palms letting out flames before he forced them shut.</p><p>"Why didn't you come to me sooner?!" he shouted at the servant, who cowered back in fear.</p><p>"My greatest apologies, your highness!" he bowed down to try and stem the Prince's anger; it didn't help, but he held his lips shut as he waited for an explanation, "The doctor had to check the baby was still alive before he did anything."</p><p>"It is?" he raised a brow, the servant making a small, cautious nod.</p><p>"Y-yes, it is." he confirmed, Ozai immediately turning his heels, striding over to the edge of the courtyard, where his shirt and towel lay; patting himself down with the latter before dressing himself quickly with the former, he glanced back toward the servant, pointing at him to command.</p><p>"Go tell the doctor I will be there at once." he requested with a cold voice, the servant running away after he gave the briefest of nods.</p><p>He turned around, taking a deep breath as he considered what might be happening; Ursa was in trouble, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. He wasn't a healer, nor did he know much about how child-birth worked. He did know, however, that blood loss was a serious matter, and that he had to go see his wife, to make sure the doctor did everything in his power to ensure her good health. If he did not do his job, Ozai would demand his father have him exiled to the colonies for good measure, though he thought execution would be the only suitable response if his wife was to perish. He turned around and looked at his robes, which were hanging from a wooden stand nearby, ready to be wrapped around his form. He didn't think of formalities when he considered the situation, but he knew that he ought to be dressed; he was a Prince, not some peasant.</p><p>Striding over, he grasped the robes and wrapped them around his torso, quickly tying the waistband before he turned toward the exit; he needed to reach the infirmary at haste. He did not know what would happen, but he was certainly not going to let the physician get away with botching the birth of his second child. The better heir, he could only hope. Zuko had yet to show signs of being a firebender, and his disposition was no more inspiring. He knew that he was not worthy of being his heir, but he was stuck with him, at least for the meantime.</p><p>"Give me a worthy heir." he muttered under his breath, before he turned around sighing, as he remembered the very reason he had married Ursa in the first place, "Father's no idiot. He couldn't have chosen the wrong woman."</p><p>His father was getting old, and soon enough, he would be dead; his brother might be Fire Lord, though he doubted the Dragon of the West had the stomach for what had to be done. A great general, yes, but not the kind of man who would make the sacrifices necessary for their nation to achieve their supreme victory over the lesser nations. His only consolation was that Zuko had little chance of being the Fire Lord, which wasn't very consoling when Ozai did not have much of a chance either; he was no great general, nor had he achieved anything of great renown as Prince of the Fire Nation. His only great virtue, at least in the eyes of his father, was his bending. But he had great wit, and he knew that if he played the game right, he would be the next Fire Lord; it would take effort, and more than that, a good heir to back him up. As he strode down the hallway, toward the infirmary where he knew his wife to be laying, he could only think of the possibilities.</p><p>"I need a son. A son who is a great firebender. Give me a worthy successor to Fire Lord Azulon."</p>
<hr/><p>"Your highnesses, I bear... the worst news."</p><p>Prince Lu Ten glanced up from the Pai Sho board that he had been intently staring at for the past few minutes, trying to formulate a move that he could use to corner his father; he knew he had a chance, but in trying to achieve it, he was wasting time. The servant before them looked worried, and that confused the Prince; the sun was low in the sky, and the weather was clear; there was not much sign of commotion in the palace, so he didn't know what kind of news it could be. He hoped it wasn't from the war front; he couldn't stand for his father to leave again. The Dragon of the West was a busy man, but he spared some time to come home and spend it with his son, and Lu Ten appreciated every moment of it.</p><p>"Sorry, the worst news?" his father asked the servant, his voice sounding as confused as he'd expect him to, "Did something happen in the Earth Kingdom?"</p><p>"This is not news of the war." the servant admitted, before looking down, seemingly ashamed, "I'm sorry, I ought to just be forthright. Princess Ursa, she has passed away from complications during childbirth."</p><p>Lu Ten's eyes widened, realising what he was saying; he didn't know his aunt well, but he was shocked by the news that he had just heard. His own mother had passed in childbirth, so he had never had the chance to know her, but he did know the kind of pain that would bring to anyone. He couldn't imagine what poor little Zuko was feeling. He was only two years old, but he loved his mother nearly, and she loved him in return.</p><p>His father spat out his tea back into the cup, clearing his throat loudly before he placed the tea-cup down, "Excuse me?"</p><p>"Blood loss." the servant clarified, not making the news any less raw, "I am sorry to bring this information to you. Prince Ozai has gone to his quarters and requested he not be disturbed for the rest of the day."</p><p>"What of the child?" Iroh asked him, the servant clearing his throat.</p><p>"She is healthy and bright eyed. The fire sages say she will be a great bender." he explained, Lu Ten grasping at his collar, unsure what to say or do.</p><p>"What's her- uh- name?"</p><p>"She is Princess Azula, named for your grandfather, our great Fire Lord." the servant clarified, Iroh's eyes widening with surprise.</p><p>"Azula?" he mumbled, turning his eyes away to glance off into the distance, "I'm surprised."</p><p>"You may leave us now." Lu Ten decided to speak up, preferring to be with his father alone while they both came to terms with what had happened.</p><p>The servant bowed, and turned his heels, leaving them at once; he turned to face his father, whose expression was growing into one of utter dread, "Zuko." he muttered his nephew's name, "What are we going to do about Zuko?"</p><p>"What do you mean, Father?"</p><p>"My brother is a cruel and unforgiving man." he simply told him, which unnerved Lu Ten.</p><p>He knew that when his father spoke with such conviction, he knew it had to be true, which only disturbed him further; he held no great disdain to his uncle, who might have been a little cold toward him, but not much more than that.</p><p>"How can you- what can we do?" he asked him, unsure what they could do to help his cousin; he was only two years old, and even if his uncle was not the most caring parent, he was the one with responsibility over him.</p><p>"I am unsure. He is still too young to make his own decisions or choose what he wants with his life, but I am afraid he will never have the opportunity." he conceded, looking down to his cup of tea, which he remembered his father had spat into; he decidedly tossed the contents of the cup into the nearby bushes, which amused Lu Ten somewhat, but he dare not laugh- not at that time.</p><p>"What about your new niece?" he asked Iroh, who looked down with a fearful glance toward his empty tea cup.</p><p>"I hope that she is a firebender." he simply admitted, "If she is not, I don't know what my brother will do with her."</p><p>"Uncle, you can make sure grandfather stops him from doing anything extreme. Nothing like what he said he'd do to Zuko, right?" he asked Iroh, unsure whether his grandfather would listen; he was a bit like his uncle, cold and uncaring for the most part, and though he did have a soft spot for his eldest son, he did not seem to have much care for anybody else, including his grandson Zuko.</p><p>"I can try. Father mightn't care. He might want Ozai to remarry, so he can continue the bloodline."</p><p>"He didn't make you remarry after... after Mother died." he acknowledged, his father sighing, looking up to the sky above them.</p><p>"My father has different standards for Ozai. That's probably why he is like he is." he admitted, Lu Ten looking down, unsure what he could say or do.</p><p>"Then what will we do, Father?" he asked him, knowing that he was the only one who understood what it was like to lose a wife.</p><p>"We need to find your cousin. He should learn this news from a friendly face." he admitted, before rising up to his feet, "Come with me, my son." he offered him a hand.</p><p>He accepted his father's firm grip, and walked alongside him as he strode out of the courtyard, opening the doors; he turned to face the nearest attendant, taking a deep breath before addressing them, "Where is my nephew?"</p><p>"Prince Zuko is currently having his dinner."</p><p>"And my brother?" he asked, the attendant making an uncertain face.</p><p>"I do not know, your highness. I apologise for the inconvenience."</p><p>"It is not your fault. News doesn't spread as quickly as I sometimes think." he conceded, before turning to face his son, "We will have our dinner with your cousin tonight. He should not be alone."</p><p>Lu Ten made a solemn face, knowing that without his mother, his cousin would no longer have the care that every child ought to have; even if Ozai was there, he was not the kindest father, and he didn't have the same kind of connection with his son as his aunt did.</p><p>"He won't ever have to be alone, Father, as long as he has us." he explained, before turning his eyes away, considering that he also had his newborn cousin to consider; he didn't know her, but he hoped that he could get to know her as well- she might need some more friendly faces.</p><p>"And her too."</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <strong>Fourteen years later...</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>"Azulon. Fire Lord to our nation for seventy-nine years. You were our fearless leader in the Battle of Garsai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin Provinces. You destroyed the Southern Water Tribe and brought the Earth Kingdom to their knees. Your reign has seen more victories than any other. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko, and Azula. We lay you to rest."</p><p>Watching as her grandfather's coffin was set aflame, a few thoughts crossed Princess Azula's mind. One of them was the fact that with his death, she was now third in line for the throne. That was better than being fourth, or fifth at that, as she had been at her birth. The line of succession, like everything, continued onward, no matter how long a Fire Lord wanted to live. Even if the Fire Lord was the most powerful man in the world, he was still bound to die, like any other human.</p><p>Her eyes turned over, now watching as her uncle stood forward; the solemn look on his face was undeniable. Anyone else might have thought it was because his beloved father was dead, but in fact, it was because he did not desire to be given what he was born to receive. He had been shaped his entire life to become the Fire Lord, yet, as he stood ready to receive the signifying headpiece, he did not seem like he was fit for the job. An old, silly man, with a love for tea and Pai Sho. That didn't mean, however, that she didn't fear him; he was the man who conquered Ba Sing Se. He had ended the Hundred Year War; he was the greatest general in Fire Nation history, unmatched in battle, and despite his character, that was worthy of praise, in her eyes.</p><p>"Now, he will be succeeded by his first son and heir, as he had inscribed on his will." the Fire Sage proclaimed, as the Dragon of the West knelt down to receive the headpiece.</p><p>As it was placed in his hair, Iroh's eyes moved up to look at the crowd before him; there were a few moments of silence, before the Fire Sage spoke up once more, his words making the succession of power into reality, "Hail Fire Lord Iroh!"</p><p>She momentarily glanced to her left, watching as her brother and father both knelt, the former's face indifferent while the latter looked to be trying to hold back his frustrations; despite what he taught her, he didn't seem to have the best grip on his emotions, especially when he had no control over the situation. He had always wanted to be Fire Lord, she knew that for certain; even if the throne was nearly in his grasp, he still had Iroh in his way, and despite his looks, he didn't seem to be anywhere close to dying.</p><p>He was only just past his sixtieth year, and she was sure that he would have many ahead of him; Azula knew that between the very moment she thought and the next succession, she would need to work hard. She needed to be her father's heir, not Zuko, and despite her prodigy when it came to firebending, she knew that would take some work. He was surprisingly competent, especially when it came to politics and talking with people, at least compared to her; she might have had the mind of a strategist, but that wasn't much help when they were quickly running out of places to conquer.</p><p>She already had something in mind, and waited patiently as the mourners gave their respects to their new Fire Lord. She was kneeling alongside them, though she had far less care for her uncle's authority than they did. When her uncle turned around, walking back toward the pavilion, obviously having had enough of the respect he had been given; he didn't seem to care for it, and walked to the doors casually, letting the Imperial Firebenders open the doors for him. Her father's eyes were set on him for a few moments, and when he finally left, he rose to his feet, sighing with frustration; he momentarily looked over toward his two children, who remained calm under his gaze. Zuko didn't dare let out an inch of emotion, and he even looked their father in the eye, to assure him that he was not afraid.</p><p>"I am going to train. I want you both to show me your forms this evening, before dinner. Is that understood?" he simply commanded them, almost sounding indifferent, despite his stern look.</p><p>"Yes, Father." they both responded, watching as their father walked off to the side, soon followed by his personal guards, completely ignoring the burning coffin of his father, their grandfather, who had only died a day earlier.</p><p>Azula took a deep breath, glad that she had not faltered under her father's gaze; she didn't know what would happen if she had, and was glad she didn't find out that truth. She rose to her feet, before glancing toward the doors through which her uncle had gone. She needed to speak with him at once, despite the circumstances; her proposition could not wait, and given the new state of affairs, she knew it was the perfect time to ask. Her grandfather might have had little care for her questions or desires, and her father lacked the authority to give her what she wanted; if there was a war to fight, she might have asked to serve her country, but with the only remaining areas outside of Fire Nation control being the North and South Poles, she didn't see that as a reasonable option.</p><p>As she turned to step toward the door, Zuko's hand blocked her path, touching her shoulder; his piercing golden glare, a mirror of her father's was set on him, and he addressed her, his tone almost humoured, "Where are you going?"</p><p>"What does it matter to you, brother?" she raised her chin up, not having any time for his games; she knew that he wanted to try and read her mind, but he wasn't that smart, as much as he tried to act like he was.</p><p>"Uncle's not going to be in a good mood. His father just died." he told her, trying to sound like he had some kind of pity; she knew however, that was a lie.</p><p>He knew exactly what she did- after the emotional turmoil of Lu Ten's demise, their uncle probably had little care for the fact that his ancient father had passed away.</p><p>"I have to ask him something." she simply told him, not wanting to tell her brother what she intended; she pushed his hand out of the way, "Don't you have something better to do than interrogate me, Zuzu?" she asked him, her brother grasping her by the wrist.</p><p>"You'd be wise to not call me that again." he warned her, his tight grip making her roll her eyes.</p><p>"Fine then, Prince Zuko." she addressed him by his formal title, "Or do you prefer to be called your highness?"</p><p>"I'd prefer you to shut up." he simply admitted, before letting go off her wrist, "Uncle mightn't care for your little games, Zula." he warned her, turning his heels as he walked off in the same way their father had.</p><p>She didn't think what she had intended was any kind of game. A test, perhaps, but no game. Pacing over toward the doors, the Imperial Guards opened them for her without question; she had drilled into them a little respect over the years, mostly through threats. She was very good at threatening people, seeing that she had seen her father do it, to both her and her brother; she thought she had learnt well to imitate that piercing glare he gave, the commanding tone. She did not think herself a Princess, but an heir, a worthy one, just like her father had been, even if he had been ignored in favour of the first-born son. She would not go the same way; she would succeed her father, whenever he finally passed, just as her grandfather just had. That was her greatest desire, and she would do anything to fulfil it. To fulfil the destiny she was born to achieve; the destiny that had killed her mother, that had made Zuko despise her, that had made her father train her harder and more harshly than her brother. It was destiny- suffering was something that even she had to experience, if only to one day witness it become reality.</p><p>"Uncle." she addressed the newly crowned Fire Lord, who turned around to face her, having barely reached the tea-room inside the coronation pavilion, where she knew he would be; his eyes darted to meet her own, and he let out a small smile.</p><p>She didn't understand why he was smiling then but not when he had been crowned; that was one of the many things that confused her about her uncle, but she tried her best to understand him. She needed to, so she could show her worth; without his respect, without his will, she was simply his niece, only a Princess.</p><p>"What is it, my niece?" he asked her, "Did you have something to say about your grandfather?"</p><p>"No." she shook her head, not having any care for her grandfather, the man for whom she was named, "I have a request of you."</p><p>"Oh." he mumbled, before letting out a little laugh, "And I thought I was the Fire Lord." he chuckled to himself; she was not amused by his words, and he quickly straightened his expression, "What do you need? Did you want a new bedroom? We might be able to shift some things around now, seeing that I will be taking the Fire Lord's quarters." he guessed, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"No, Uncle. I want a ship."</p><p>"A ship." he mumbled, narrowing his eyes at her with confusion, "I don't understand. Did you want to go on a journey?"</p><p>"Not a journey." she shook her head, knowing that to be the wrong word to describe what she intended; sitting herself down beside him, she clarified her intentions, "I desire to complete the quest that none of our bloodline have been able to."</p><p>Iroh's eyes widened, realising what she actually wanted; a ship was simply the means by which she could further her destiny.</p><p>"You seek the Avatar? The one who has eluded us for a hundred years?" he asked, the Princess giving him an affirmative nod.</p><p>"I do." she confirmed, "I want to prove my worth." she simply explained, "There are no more great cities to conquer Uncle, you made sure of that."</p><p>"What of Omashu? It still stands against the Fire Nation." he noted, reminding her that it was the last part of the Earth Kingdom that was nominally independent, even if it was only a single city, surrounded by Fire Nation armies, starved off and disconnected from the rest of the world.</p><p>The Princess idly glanced off into the distance, realising that was actually a possibility; the prestige of taking that city was not as great as her original intentions, however.</p><p>"Maybe I can get around to that after I find the Avatar." she admitted, before turning her eyes back toward him, "The Fire Sages told me when I inquired that there has never been proof of the Avatar's demise. That means that the last airbender must be hiding somewhere."</p><p>"I must say, my niece, I am surprised that you have chosen to continue the family tradition."</p><p>"Zuko is far too concerned with his books and swords to do something like this. I will do what he will not." she proclaimed, her uncle chuckling, raising a hand to his beard.</p><p>"He is not misguided to have some pastimes. No great ruler is only ever dedicated to governance." he explained as he held up a tea cup, inferring his rather stupid passion for the substance one poured into said cup, before he gestured toward her, "When do you desire to begin your journey?"</p><p>"As soon as a ship is provided to me." she clarified, before placing her hands together, sternly staring him down, "I assure you, Uncle, I will not fail."</p><p>"It would be a first if you did." he admitted, "I will miss our Pai Sho games."</p><p>"I will eventually beat you." she declared confidently, "It is simply a work in progress."</p><p>"Of course." he smugly looked at her, as she rose back up to her feet, "You will have your ship. I only have one request."</p><p>"What is it?" she asked him, the Fire Lord placing his still empty tea cup on the table in front of him, waiting to be filled.</p><p>"That you learn from this new experience. My own quest was quite an eye-opening one, all those years ago." he smiled at her, reminiscing back to whenever he had gone on the same journey, probably forty or so years prior, "You are young. Like an unfilled cup of tea. Only once you have been filled with knowledge and wisdom, that is when you will be able to taste the fruits of your labour."</p><p>She understood his metaphor well enough; once she was wise enough, she would be worthy of being the Fire Lord. She did not know if her uncle would dare overturn her own father in the line of succession, but given their tense relationship, she knew it was a possibility. Then he would be faced with the choice between her and Zuko; she was certain that he would choose her brother, unless he was enlightened to her own ability- she was more capable, and he would see that soon enough. She had to learn, that was the only way she could further improve herself- to achieve her destiny.</p><p>"I will fill my cup, Uncle." she simply told him, making him chuckle, snapping his fingers to catch the attention of a servant who was standing outside, obviously waiting for his Fire Lord's command.</p><p>"Well then, what kind of tea do you like?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This fic is based around a random AU idea I had. How could I get Azula and Zuko to switch roles without actually changing their canon personalities? Well, this is the result. I know nothing's really happened in this chapter, because I'm just setting up the premise, but more will be explained, primarily through flashbacks, to show exactly what changed in this AU. Some of the differences should be rather obvious, given what you've just read. This story is admittedly a side-fic and probably won't be updated at the same regular basis as The Return.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Father's Approval</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"You're going to be the Fire Lord soon."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Iroh raised a brow with confusion, realising what he just heard his nephew say; he thought they were just going to be talking about his firebending training, which he had helped provide his nephew with some insight on. Even if he'd never admit it, he did struggle with his bending, at least in comparison to his prodigious sister. Why he decided to mention the fact that his ninety eight year old father was probably going to die within the year was beyond him; perhaps Zuko was already concerned with the line of succession, seeing that he was third in line to the throne, behind his father, Ozai, and Iroh himself.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Well, yes, Nephew, I will be." he confirmed, "Fire Lord Azulon is an old man, and his health has been... better." he admitted; his father was becoming so weak that he could no longer act on his public duties- he was still sound of mind, at least as sound as a ninety-eight year old man could be.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"What will you do then... when you're the Fire Lord?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I will serve my country, as I was raised to do. My father has taught me many things, as has my time in The War." he admitted, before sighing, remembering his greatest lesson was not one of victory, but one of loss, "I don't want any more people to suffer, now that the Fire Nation has won the war."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Well, we haven't won-won." Zuko raised a brow, disagreeing with his presumption, "There's still a few towns and cities outside of our control. The King of Omashu and his lackeys still hide behind their walls, just like the Earth King did."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"So they do." Iroh acknowledged; he didn't think that taking Omashu would do much, seeing that Fire Nation forces had the city surrounded on all sides, and it was nested amongst mountains, making it hard to access for both potential rebels and the armies that had been besieging it, "I don't think anyone can resist the Fire Nation for much longer. Perhaps the Northern Water Tribe, but they never partook in The War to begin with."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"What comes next for our nation? Are we going to conquer the rest of the savages?" he asked him, Iroh cringing slightly; his nephew's head was full of the lies that he himself had been taught when he was his age, and he couldn't help but pity him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He did not want to tell him what he truly thought, out of fear of rejection; Zuko was to eventually be Fire Lord, and he wanted him to be a Fire Lord that could rule his nation nobly and respect the other nations, the ones they had already vanquished and defeated.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"If they threaten... peace, then we will do what we must. That is what I will make sure our nation has, Nephew." he told him the truth; even if his idea of peace was different to many of the other high-ranking military officials, he still knew they had the same idea at heart- the Fire Nation had to end the war, sooner rather than later.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"That is..." Zuko trailed off, looking like he was trying to find a good choice of words, "respectable, Uncle." he conceded, before his eyes narrowed, "But, do you really think we can have peace with them? They continue to resist us. Our march of progress... so we can achieve what great-grandfather Sozin envisaged."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I don't know what he expected." the Dragon of the West conceded, "I never met the man. He died many years before I was born, but my father spoke of his feats."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Just his feats?" Zuko asked, the Crown Prince turning his eyes away; Azulon did not like his own father, perhaps because he had been a stern and cruel man- that was the kind of person who could lead their armies to annihilate a whole group of people by association with a single individual, that being the Avatar, the man who had been missing for nearly a whole century.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Yes." he simply nodded, before clearing his throat, not wanting to speak of things he didn't truly understand, nor wanted to, "So, Prince Zuko, do you understand what I mean when I say you must not waste your breath?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>His nephew made a slightly cringed face, before nodding, "Y-yes, Uncle." he assured him, sounding a little nervous; he was sure of himself in many areas, but his bending was not one of them, "I thank you for your wisdom. Breath is key to ensuring I will not fail in a real fight."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He raised a brow, thinking about what his nephew's words suggested, "Do you desire to fight for your nation?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"One day, yes." he simply nodded, "I believe you are right, Uncle. Peace is what we should strive for." he added; Iroh turned his eyes away, trying to hide his unease.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Zuko's words suggested that he wanted to do what the Dragon of the West once had; to attack and subjugate innocents, under the belief that it would better their own lives.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Are you going to train?" he asked his nephew, who nodded as he rose up to his feet.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Yes, I need to prepare for my presentation to Father. He wants to see how my sets have progressed." he explained, his expression becoming cold, "I can't make a fool of myself."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"You will not, Nephew." he assured him, "You are a strong and capable bender. You just showed me your forms. I'm sure that your Father will see the effort you have put in." he explained, though the last bit was a lie; he didn't know if Ozai would approve, seeing that he constantly compared Zuko with his sister, who was admittedly more refined and graceful in her own bending, though it was primarily because she spent so much time, ever since she could walk, perfecting her firebending skills.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"He won't." he snarled, clenching his fists as he turned away, "He'll only see her. He only ever sees her."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Prince Zuko." he called out to his nephew before he decided to leave, obviously self-conscious of the feeling of anger he had over his treatment, primarily because of Azula's own bending skill, "Do not let your feelings dissuade you. You are a great bender." he assured him, knowing it to be true; Zuko only needed to apply himself, and he would be just as great as the sister he so envied.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Bending isn't the only thing I have." he admitted, sighing before he turned back to face his uncle, "That's why I want you to teach me."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Teach you?" he raised a brow; Zuko sounded interested in a little something more than his humble advice, "What do you need to know?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"It's not what I need to know Uncle, it's what I need to be able to do." he clarified his question, "I want to learn how to use my mind. In battle... in the war chamber. It doesn't matter where."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I see." he raised a finger to his beard, "I can teach you, Nephew. I must warn you, however. Politics is not for the faint of heart."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"What do you take me for, Uncle?"he quipped in return, "I will be the Fire Lord one day."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"That you will." he agreed with his words, "That's why you must take your time. You cannot become the Prince you want to be in one day. You must learn to serve your country."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I will, Uncle." he assured him, "If I come back tonight, could you tell me some more. I need to go practice my sets."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Of course, Nephew. With a cup of jasmine tea?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Uh, yeah." he mumbled, "Enjoy your afternoon, Uncle." he waved to Iroh, before turning his heels, walking away in a better mood than he might have if his uncle had not intervened.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"And you too, Nephew." he smiled at Zuko, who didn't look back, though the confident strides he took suggested that his words of wisdom had helped him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He turned around, remembering that he was sitting, enjoying a cup of tea, between meetings; his father desired him to remain on the war council, despite the fact he was practically retired from his duties as a general, even if he did remain Crown Prince. He wished he could spend more time with his nephew, but his duties called, making him wish he wasn't stuck with them any longer; after his experience in Ba Sing Se, the idea of being the Fire Lord no longer called to him as it once had, though he certainly wanted to run his nation for the sake of improving it. There was a lot of things wrong with his nation, and he wanted to fix them before he was an old man and went the way of his father.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"One day, my nephew, one day you will see a better Fire Nation."</em>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>Zuko kept his legs crossed and his eyes down as his father entered the training courtyard; Azula sat beside him, doing exactly the same, not wanting to aggrieve their father with any disrespectful glances. They were there to show their worth, as his children and heirs; the Prince knew that his sister was distracted by something that afternoon, and that gave him a small sense of reprieve. Every one of her failures was a victory for the first-born son of Ozai. He had worked hard on his forms all afternoon, after he had gotten away from his grandfather's funeral; Zuko didn't think much of his passing, seeing that nothing seemed to be any different, other than their father's mood, which had clearly deteriorated.</p>
<p>When he found out his father had fallen ill, he had become even harsher, something that Zuko didn't believe was possible; he was under no presupposition that his father was in a bad mood because he loved his own father. It was instead because he wasn't where he wanted to be; Prince Ozai wanted to be the Fire Lord, and despite his best efforts to woo his father, he had failed in overturning the order of succession. Zuko didn't care for his father's efforts when his grandfather was still alive, knowing that eventually, he would succeed his father, once he succeeded Iroh. Now, things were more interesting, seeing that his father obviously wanted the throne; he wanted to receive his birthright before his elder brother met his natural demise, something that Zuko already understood well. Ozai believed, perhaps always so, that he was more worthy of the throne.</p>
<p>"Rise, my children." he spoke to them with the same, cold commanding voice he always used; the Prince was unsure whether he'd ever heard him speak otherwise, to either his children or the servants of the palace.</p>
<p>His eyes moved between the two siblings as they stood before him, the piercing glare not unnerving Zuko; he could not let it get to him, despite how often it came his way. His father cleared his throat, before he gestured to the courtyard before them, where they would be free to show their forms.</p>
<p>"Go ahead, Prince Zuko." he told his son, who did not relent, immediately striding forward, making his way to stand by the edge of the training yard.</p>
<p>He didn't dare look back, knowing that the mocking smirk from his sister that he would receive would anger him; he could not let his emotions control him when he was meant to be showing his firebending skill. He had to channel them, calmly as he could, into his flames, and wrestle the fire to his will. He spun his hands around, taking a deep breath to channel his inner energies; he needed to be able to show his control, his fortitude. If Zuko could not compare to his sister in power and dexterity, he had to show his own strengths.</p>
<p>The Prince raised his right foot up and spun it around in a leftward kick, creating a stream of fire which he then grasped with his left hand, bending it into a ball; he then thrust his left hand and foot forward, sending the fireball into the air in front of him, creating an impressive fire blast. That was a rather meagre showing of his skills, in his own opinion, and he decided to continue onward, spinning his arms around circularly, charging two bolts of fire at his fingertips. He began to move forward, spinning himself around, first letting out the flames from his right hand in a curved arc which flew out across the courtyard; he then straightened his form, sending the next arc from his left hand, cutting upward, the kind of blast that would hit a man in the chin and knock him out cold. He was somewhat disappointed he was simply showing his forms, rather than actually attacking someone, knowing that his attacks would better show their merit that way.</p>
<p>He raised his left leg up and kicked it out behind him, sending out a fire stream before he culled the attack, focusing instead on his right foot, which spun around as he jumped into the air, sending out another arc of flames, this time from his toe-tip. Now stepping forward with his right foot, he faced toward his father and sister; he pulled his right arm across his chest, quickly charging another fire bolt with his fingers, firing it out to his right, creating another explosive fire blast. Zuko then did the same with his left hand, creating an arc of flames, which stood stationary in front of him, like a shield, before he kicked through his own attack, which sent out embers in all directions as well as creating a fire stream; the kind of attack that would defend him on all sides. He always thought about the practical application of his forms, knowing that intense, fancy looking moves were not going to impress his father if they could not be applied.</p>
<p>Zuko finally moved back into a more simple fighting stance with his left foot forward and right hand on the ready; he charged a ball of fire in his right palm, slowly raising his arm up before curling it back toward his torso. After he felt the heat become intense enough between his hand and his chest, he threw his arm forward, creating a powerful bolt of  flames which maintained its form as he was able to first direct it across the courtyard, before he grasped at it with his right hand, spinning around and flinging the fireball across the courtyard, causing it to strike the ground just across from him, creating a decent explosion; he wasn't fazed by his own strength, understanding what he was capable of, and simply turned to face his father, bowing down toward him.</p>
<p>He did not dare address Prince Ozai, who simply looked at him, with the same cold glare, before letting himself clap; only once, as that was all the praise Zuko would receive, "Your bending is up to shape, Zuko." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, turning to his left, "Azula." he addressed his daughter, who seemed eager to show off her own forms, "Are you ready to begin?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Father. I am always ready." she assured him, her eyes turning to her brother, who immediately looked away; he didn't want to look at her, knowing that she was not deserving of his gaze; she simply stood to undermine him, and that was something the Prince could not tolerate.</p>
<p>He strode over to where he had been sitting before, walking right past her as they switched positions, her eyes remaining on him, obviously trying to read him; he didn't let her, not giving out a single sign of emotion. He turned around and sat down where she had, beside his father, who did not acknowledge him; he did not even glance his way, simply focusing on Azula's quick strides toward the centre of the courtyard. She turned away from them, facing in the direction of the afternoon sun, and immediately took form; her stance was steady, and her serious expression told him that she took their exhibitions just as much as he did.</p>
<p>She took a deep breath before she set into action, and even if he didn't want to admit it, her speed was impressive; she fluidly moved from punch to kick, from charging flames in her hands to firing them across the courtyard. Of course, he thought he was quite skilled at doing all of those things himself, though he knew that her grace with her bending was unbeatable; that wasn't even considering the fact her fire was a radiant blue instead of orange, like that of every other firebender. Zuko saw his element for what it could do, and used it- things like blue fire were meaningless, and unattainable to begin with; he had no time to show off, despite what he had just done for his father.</p>
<p>She made her way across the courtyard, before she would turn around, and begin sending her flames the other way. She jumped into the air, spinning around and sending a powerful stream from her feet, something that he certainly wasn't capable of; he momentarily turned his eyes toward his father, and saw his lips purse upward, approving of his sister's show of power. That made the Prince want to snarl, but he kept his lips straight; he could not show his jealousy, his weakness, in front of him.</p>
<p>He turned his eyes back toward his sister, hoping that at the very least, he could learn from her forms, and see how she applied herself; he desired to be a great bender, and if he had to learn from watching her, he would, no matter how much it angered him to do so. It hurt his pride, more than anything; she was two years his junior, yet, she was ahead of him in all areas of bending. He watched as she spun her hands, creating a shield of flames in front of her, which she propelled forward with a quick kick, almost in imitation of his own move only a minute earlier. He didn't think she was stealing his moves, but rather, that she had already learned the move he had used; her forms just showed him how despite his desire to make his bending as refined as possible, that there was always a better way to make one's firebending more efficient and swift in it's production.</p>
<p>She finished her forms by sending out a kick of flames, turning her fingers around as she dropped her foot back on the ground, before she fired out a lightning bolt from her fingertips, showing Zuko the one form he truly wanted to learn; lightning generation was both scary and beautiful at the same time, but he had lacked the mental fortitude, or at least that is what he guessed, when he found himself unable to create lightning. Seeing her generate it with her fingers made him want to achieve it even more; that was one thing he knew that would impress his father, who was for the most part tolerant, if not dismissive of his own abilities.</p>
<p>"Brilliant." his father smiled at her, gesturing for her to come back toward him, "Your lightning generation is even faster than last time. Soon enough you will be able to hold it to your will, just like your fire." he commended her efforts; the very fact that he spent more time to congratulate her efforts showed Zuko that she still was well and truly the one in their father's favour.</p>
<p>Azula approached them, and sat herself down, Ozai standing up once more, placing himself in front of them once she had sat herself beside her brother, who did not look her way; their father's indomitable glare remained on them, though he seemed to be in a slightly better mood than what he had been when he had arrived.</p>
<p>"I will see you both here in two day's time. I have meetings to attend to tomorrow and the day after, now that Iroh has ascended to the throne." he explained, the spite on his tongue clearly noticeable.</p>
<p>He was not happy about his brother's new position, and that further told Zuko that he would want to do something about it; perhaps not at once, but quickly enough, at least in considering how long Iroh was expected to reign for.</p>
<p>"War meetings are to be had, to consider the fate of the Earth Kingdom." he explained, the two siblings nodding, telling their father that they understood what he had said; neither of them were to be partaking in such meetings, which were probably to only have the most important officials, both civil and military in the Fire Nation in attendance.</p>
<p>Azula cleared her throat, and raised her chin up, telling them that she wanted to speak, "Yes, Daughter?"</p>
<p>"I am sorry to tell you that I will not be able to show you my progress next time." she admitted, Zuko turning his head slightly, so he could look at her face; she wasn't joking, something she wouldn't dare do when speaking to their father of all people.</p>
<p>"Why is that?" Ozai narrowed his eyes at her, sounding rather accusing in his tone.</p>
<p>He wasn't happy that she would not be attending, seeing that their regular bending exhibitions were the closest thing they had to a kind of family activity; Zuko doubted it was because he would miss her or anything of the likes, but because he could not keep an eye on her and ensure that she was up to scratch- perfect, as she always was.</p>
<p>"Because I will be leaving the Capital, by tonight at the earliest." she explained, Zuko trying to keep a straight face; he had no idea why she would be leaving home, at least on such short notice.</p>
<p>"Enlighten me on why my own daughter would leave her home so abruptly?" Ozai spoke down at her, his phrasing and tone indicative that he did not approve of such a decision.</p>
<p>"Because I am going to find and capture the Avatar."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Azula was not surprised by the looks of surprise on her father and brother's faces, knowing that her news was out of the blue. She had not wanted to speak of it, in case her uncle did not approve of her request; that would be shameful, so it was better not to mention anything until she had an answer, which she did. Her uncle did approve, and she would have the ship and men she desired for her journey. Zuko looked at her with an unusually confused expression; he obviously didn't see her move coming, but then again, he wasn't that smart to begin with. Being leagues ahead of illiterate commoners or foreign peasants didn't mean that he could compare to her, even if he thought himself to be just as intelligent as her. Her father, on the other hand, didn't seem confused; if anything he looked annoyed, frustrated by the turn of events; Azula had not intended to frustrate her father- if anything, she wanted to impress him with her forward-thinking. By going to find the Avatar, she would learn experience in the field in commanding a ship, and if she returned with the last airbender in tow, she would earn the adoration of the entire nation.</p>
<p>"Excuse me?" Zuko's jaw dropped, questioning whether he heard correctly.</p>
<p>"You heard me, Brother." she chided him, "I will find and capture the Avatar."</p>
<p>"Azula." her father uttered her name, his tone suggesting that he was certainly frustrated by the turn of events, "I would like to speak to you... alone." he clarified, turning his eyes to Zuko, who immediately looked back at their father with concern.</p>
<p>"Oh..." he mumbled, before rising to his feet, "My apologies, Father." he quickly bowed, before turning his heels, walking out of the courtyard, heading back into the palace proper, leaving her and her father alone, Azula looking up at him, trying to keep a straight face; when he got angry, she didn't know what to do other than be silent and listen.</p>
<p>"Did he put you up to this?" he asked her, sounding like he was trying to hold back his anger; she stiffened up, realising what he had assumed- he thought that Iroh had asked her to go find the Avatar, as if he wanted to get rid of her.</p>
<p>"No, he did not." she assured him, "Father, I chose to do this myself. I did not intend to dishonour you; I thought it would be a great honour to do it." she admitted honestly, hoping her father would just take her words for what they were; of all things, she didn't want to get into an argument with him about her intentions, knowing that if she got defensive, things could turn ugly, very quickly.</p>
<p>"I-" he began, before turning his face away from her, reorienting himself so he was looking out into the courtyard, "I thought he was trying to undermine me." he admitted, "But it seems that Iroh isn't that smart." he pursed his lips upward, before turning to face her, "You are right. It would bring great honour to you to capture the Avatar."</p>
<p>"I will do it, Father. If he is not dead, I will find him." she explained, Ozai raising his chin up.</p>
<p>"It has been a hundred years since he was seen." he acknowledged, "is there any reason why you decided to go on this journey?"</p>
<p>"To honour myself and my ancestors." she gave him a token line; in all honesty, she didn't really care about the latter part.</p>
<p>She was only concerned about fulfilling her destiny, the one she knew was set out for her from birth; anything that got her closer to the throne was something she would do, and finding a person that hadn't been seen in a hundred years was one of them.</p>
<p>"I am disappointed that you will no longer be here by my side. There are still things for you to learn. Bending, strategy, politics. You will need it all in the coming years." he admitted, his eyes turning down to meet her own, "You are destined for great things, my child."</p>
<p>"I will not take too long, Father." she reassured him, "By the coming of the comet, I will have the Avatar in my grasp."</p>
<p>"If he lives." Ozai added, before turning his eyes away, "I may call upon you in the coming months. If I do, you must return at once."</p>
<p>"I understand, Father." she bowed down toward him, knowing that his word was law; even if he wasn't the Fire Lord, she wouldn't dare oppose his will.</p>
<p>Her father was a man on a mission, perhaps even more so than herself; the throne was so close to his grasp, but he had yet to do anything about it. Of course, Fire Lord Azulon had only passed that night prior, and Iroh had only been enthroned a few hours before their very meeting. Her father had all the time to find a way to the throne, something she knew he would do; it was his birthright, perhaps not in the legal sense, but more so from his strength. He was the greatest firebender alive, even if he was not a prodigy like herself; he had worked for years to build up his strength, to master their art form to the point where not even their uncle could oppose him in a duel. At least, that was what she assumed; she tried to look at things at face value, but unlike her uncle, she had seen Ozai bend, and it scared her. The pure ferocity with which he moved through his forms was enough to make her shiver.</p>
<p>"Is there anything you needed to ask of me, before you leave?" her father broke the silence he had held over her like a weapon; her eyes moved up, meeting his sharp golden eyes, coldly staring her down- his tone suggested he had some semblance of empathy, but those eyes, they never lied.</p>
<p>"That you impart on me some wisdom." she decided to ask, knowing that stroking her father's ego was something that put him in a better mood.</p>
<p>"Mercy is the greatest weapon of the weak." he told her, before turning his heels, to leave the courtyard, "You would best remember that when you face the coward that has been hiding from us for a hundred years."</p>
<p>"I will not fail you." she simply bowed once more; her father's eyes momentarily looking back at her, his smirk suggesting that he approved of her deference.</p>
<p>"I know that you cannot."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Departures</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Cousin!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lu Ten turned his head around to see Azula, his eight year old cousin racing toward him, standing in a firebending form; he chuckled at her sudden appearance, thinking that she wanted to spar with him, to try and stop him from leaving the Capital with his father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You can't leave without my permission." she declared confidently, the Prince scoffing at her words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And how exactly do you intend to stop me, Princess Azula?" he asked her, before she threw a fireball above his right shoulder, perhaps as a warning of what was to come.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"By beating you in a duel. If an eight year old can beat you... then you won't stand a chance against those dirty earth peasants."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, I see your point." he considered, amused by the fact that she could give a rather reasonable argument; if she could beat him, he certainly would need to reconsider his training regime, "How about you test me then? Father doesn't want me on the ship until sundown."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Face my fury!" she proclaimed, before breathing out a stream of flames, which impressively soared above his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, so you're using Dad's move." he noted, Azula crossing her arms in defiance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I learnt it myself!" she declared, obviously not wanting him to think she'd learned it from Iroh; it wasn't like he ever taught her much firebending- he was much more interested in her Pai Sho skills than her bending.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She then proceeded to leap forward, sending a fireball toward Lu Ten, who weaved out of the way, before taking his own stance, "Okay, then, I believe you." he gave her a reassuring smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That smile was only momentary, as he immediately moved into his fighting mindset. He thrust his fist forward, sending a quick jab her way; she squatted his flames like they were a bug, before she swung her foot out toward him, sending a wave of flames right toward his head. He ducked under her attack, before making a low, sweeping kick, sending flames from his foot, a rather simple move. Azula jumped over the attack, taking advantage of her other great skill- acrobatics. She landed on her hands, which was impressive enough, before she aimed her feet right at his head. He raised his arms up in front of him, blocking the stream of flames she sent out of her feet; he stumbled back from the force of the attack, retaking his stance as she continued her relentless assault, spinning herself around to land back on her feet before she sent a quick succession of jabs in his direction. He was able to block them, seeing that they were all aimed for his torso, before he raised a wall of flames between him and his cousin; with her field of view blocked, he was able to take advantage of the situation, stepping to the side before forming an arc of flames which cut through his own defences. He didn't hear a yelp or any kind of response from Azula, and was shocked when his defences were dispersed, her little hands continuing to send out impressive amounts of fire in his direction.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought you were tougher, Lu Ten!" she smirked at him, the Prince trembling as he was forced to go on the defensive, blocking each of her fireballs as they increased in pace and irregularity, now aiming to strike his peripheries.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't try and wake the dragon." he warned her, before raising his right leg up, making a high kick toward her chest; she ducked under his attack, though he'd expected that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lu Ten then charged a fireball up in his right hand, thrusting it along before he released it right at her abdomen, throwing her back. She grunted as she fell down onto the stone tiles, but immediately pulled her legs back. He was forced to duck under the fire streams she sent out of her soles, which were surprisingly potent; it was rare to see anyone who could do much more than a small jets from their feet, while his cousin had the strength in her soles to probably launch herself into the air as if she were a mythic airbender, those who were refuted to be able to glide through the air like any ordinary man or woman would swim through water. He moved back into form once she return to standing on her feet, and then raised his arms, blocking the next fireball she sent his way; Azula then stepped to his side, before jabbing him in the gut, making Lu Ten grunt as he stumbled back, reorienting his stance to make sure she didn't get behind him. When she reached forward to land a flame covered hand on his chest, he made use of his longer arms, grasping her by the wrist, stopping his cousin in her tracks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh..." she mumbled, her eyes darting up to meet his own, "This is the part where you'd kill the earth peasant, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh... yeah." he nodded, somewhat uneased by his cousin's talk of death; for an eight year old, she was rather focused on the war and the things that came with it- mostly the undesirable parts.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She pulled her right arm free of his grip, before she crossed both of them, looking at him with an impressed look; it was as if she were the master and not the student- though she was a prodigy, Azula still had a lot to learn before she'd be a master of their bending art.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good job, Cousin. I'm sure you'll go great in the war." she complimented him, making the young Prince smile, appreciative of her support; though he wouldn't admit it to her, he felt nervous to be jing his father on the front, even though it had been his dream for years.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Just stay away from the boulders; I heard they're huge and can crush a person just like that." she imitated the motion of a boulder crushing a person with her hands, her closed fist the boulder and two fingers the helpless Fire Nation soldier- him, in this context; Lu Ten gulped, before placing an affirmative hand on her shoulder, appreciative of the thought she put into her advice, despite how it made him feel.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'll keep that in mind, Azula."</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"I apologise for my tardiness, my niece. I simply wanted to see you off."</p><p>Azula turned around to face the Fire Lord, who had still only be enthroned that afternoon; in the span of that afternoon, he had called on a ship and recruited some of the finest men, at least in his opinion, to serve on her ship, which was a Royal Barge, the kind that he himself would travel in if he were to visit the colonies, for example. She thought she ought to bow, perhaps out of respect, but instead, before she could say a word, her uncle gave her a hug. It was a tight one at that, and she became uneased by the knowledge that the detachment of Imperial Firebenders who had come to protect her had just seen her Uncle embrace her like she was a little girl.</p><p>As soon as she could get free of his grip, she did, and she dusted down her robes, instinctively checking her hair to make sure it was in place; she couldn't be looking dishevelled, especially when she was just about to take command of a ship, "There is no need to apologise, Uncle. You are the Fire Lord now."</p><p>"I guess I do have a few extra privileges." he chuckled to himself, before glancing back toward her, with the same warm smile he had been baring that afternoon when she first spoke to him, just after his coronation, "I truly hope you have a successful journey. You may find more than you expect out there."</p><p>"I don't think there are any more lesser people to go subjugate, if that's what you were thinking." she noted, knowing of course, her uncle wouldn't be thinking about that; even if he was the Fire Lord, he was still Uncle Iroh- he had given up fighting after Ba Sing Se, after what happened to her cousin, "Unless you wanted me to go conquer Omashu for you?"</p><p>Her uncle shook his head, obviously having come up with something else, "I was more thinking along the lines of learning about the world. There is much more to see than what the Fire Nation's education system has provided you with. Even the best tutors haven't visited uninhabited islands, the poles or even the Air Temples." he acknowledged, the Princess nodding along.</p><p>He did have a good point- she was going to go to places most people wouldn't dream of going, and not in the positive sense; there was really no reason to go visit such places unless once was intending to find the Avatar, which she was.</p><p>"You are right. There is much to see, and many places to scour. I'm sure you've seen a few of them already." she acknowledged, her uncle nodding, his expression shifting to a serious one.</p><p>"Yes, I have. I have already sent a list of locations and their coordinates that will be of interest for your search. There may not be that much for you to find, but I'm sure you might be able to learn something of the Avatar's whereabouts."</p><p>"What would have changed in the forty or so years since you went on your journey, Uncle?"</p><p>"The Avatar must have gotten a lot older. Avatars are extremely powerful benders and are refuted to have long lifespans, but that doesn't mean they don't age." he acknowledged, "Not that anyone has sighted him. For all I know, he could be in the Spirit World."</p><p>"Would he escape aging there?" she furrowed a brow, knowing of all people, her uncle knew a fair bit about the spirits and their domain- people could supposedly reach it, and he had, though it was a dangerous place.</p><p>"Maybe. Perhaps he might be stuck there." he acknowledged, "But I have a feeling he must be alive, somewhere in our world." he added; the way he spoke of it made it sound like he had some authority on the matter.</p><p>She didn't know what kinds of spirits he had communicated with on his spiritual journey four years earlier, but she guessed that they might have known something about the Avatar's whereabouts.</p><p>"I don't mean to intrude, but would you have any idea how to best communicate with these entities. I personally doubt their powers, but if you say they are far greater than humans, then I think they'd be the best call for finding the master of the elements."</p><p>"Uh..." his eyes widened, obviously not expecting such a forward question, "I will have to console with the Fire Sages on such matters, but I can send you a letter as soon as I can on whatever I can find from them."</p><p>"I thank you for your forward-thinking, Uncle." she made a small smile, before turning her heels, "If that's all, I think I'll go meet my new crew."</p><p>"Oh, I ought to formally introduce you." Iroh stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest, "It is my honour as your uncle and as the Fire Lord to do so."</p><p>"Go ahead." she gestured up the metal boarding plank, which her Uncle began to stride up, the Imperial Firebenders bowing to him in deference as he made his way past them.</p><p>She followed on after him, and after her came the guards who two a two by two formation. When she reached the deck, she saw everybody that had been onboard, moving around supplies and getting everything ready for departure, now still, kneeling in respect to their Fire Lord.</p><p>"I thank you all for your service to our great nation." he smiled at them with open arms, "I apologise for having you all mobilised on such short notice, but my niece, she desired to leave as soon as possible." he explained, making her twitch; he was almost blaming her for his own decision, and even if what he said was true, that didn't mean she wasn't offended, "I hope you can serve her with honour and distinction. This is a great honour, to go on a journey to find the Avatar." he explained, before he gestured to Azula, who was now standing on deck, behind him, "Please, I'd like you to show your respects to my niece, Princess Azula."</p><p>The crew members stood up, now giving her a more respectful bow; as with everything in the FIre Nation, different degrees of authority awarded one with differing degrees of respect. She was not getting the welcome of a Fire Lord, or the Crown Prince, but of a mere royal, which was less respectful than the one her uncle had received, even if she was fourth in line to the throne.</p><p>"Thank you, Uncle." she made her own bow toward him, appreciative of his words, no matter how they might have skewed her first impression with the crew, before she turned toward her new crew, "I hope to lead you across the world, so that we can find the great enemy of our nation. I will not fail, and any failure from any one of you will be dealt with accordingly. Is that understood?"</p><p>"Yes, your highness." all of them spoke at once, their voices going over each other, though they all spoke quietly enough that she could simply smile at their act of deference rather than be annoyed by it.</p><p>"Now, I want this ship ready to leave port by sundown." she explained, gesturing to their west, to the sun, which sat a little bit above the horizon; within the hour, the sun would be gone and the light of day would fade into twilight, "So I suggest you all hurry yourselves along." she warned them, raising her hand up, gesturing for them to begin; they did just that, moving into a flurry, taking crates across the tent and down into the brig, and moving bags of armour, food and other essential supplies into their hold.</p><p>"I think you've got the commanding part down pat, my niece." Iroh commended her, making her look at him with surprise; for someone who was reputed to be so nice, she was surprised he approved of her style of leadership, "Though, it can help to give an inch of kindness to your crew."</p><p>She raised her chin up, feeling that she shouldn't address that matter specifically; if word of that got to her father, she might find herself in some strife, even if it was only through coldly worded letters instead of his actual voice.</p><p>"I'll treat them how they ought to be treated." she simply declared, "They are here to serve. If they serve me well, they will earn my respect, otherwise, my ire."</p><p>"I understand." her uncle nodded, trying to keep a straight face; he obviously didn't agree, but starting an argument with her would not end well; that was something she was rather skilled at, having tested her skills out regularly on her elder brother, who seemed to find it his duty to question everything she did, "Did you want to ask me anything else before you set off?"</p><p>"No, Uncle." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes in thought; she could ask anything of him now, seeing that he was the Fire Lord, "I do want to ask something of you, though."</p><p>"Oh?" he raised a brow, "Another request?" he tried to hold back a laugh, "Was the ship and crew not enough?"</p><p>"This doesn't have to do with the Avatar, Uncle." she warned him, before stepping ahead onto the deck, so she wasn't looking him in the eye; she didn't want him to try and read her emotions, not when it might adversely affect his response, "The Fire Nation has won." she simply acknowledged the fact of the matter, "Don't make the mistake of growing complacent in our victory." she warned him, hoping that he would read between the lines.</p><p>"I've made that mistake before." he conceded, Azula turning around to face him, seeing the bittersweet look on his face.</p><p>Maybe he was speaking of what happened to Lu Ten; she had never learned the details, not wanting to anger her Uncle. He mightn't have been like her father, but supposedly, when he wanted to, her uncle was one of the best fighters alive, despite his appearance as a lazy and jovial old man.</p><p>"Now, I must be off, Uncle. I hope that your reign is as prosperous as that of your father." she bowed to him in respect, as a final farewell, Iroh looking at her with an appreciative smile.</p><p>"We will see." he conceded, obviously unsure exactly where things were heading, both for their nation, and more specifically, for their family.</p><p>Those words proved to her she was aware of the circumstances as he was; anti-Fire Nation forces would want to have him and the other members of the royal family killed for their role in the war, and his own brother would likely want to take the throne from under his feet, whether subversely or through an open revolt- the latter was admittedly not her father's style. He had taught to be cautious, to wait and listen for what one's enemies decided to do, and act with the power of knowledge. Prince Ozai would not go storming into the throne room and demand an Agni Kai with the Fire Lord; that was a quick way to a painful death by her uncle's irrefutably powerful lightning generation skills.</p><p>She turned around, facing the bridge of her ship, which took the form of a pagoda, "I must thank you for the ship. It is quite suitable for someone of my rank."</p><p>"That is the purpose for which it was built, my niece." he conceded, before his attention was drawn, along with her own, from the sound of annoyed voices down by the end of the boarding plank.</p><p>"Excuse me? Do you know who we are?" she heard the cry of an elderly woman's voice; Lo and Li had arrived, and were obviously offended by the guards standing in their way.</p><p>"That must be your firebending instructors." Iroh concluded correctly, turning around to face the plank, raising a hand, "Let them aboard!" he commanded, the guards stepping out of the way.</p><p>The twins made their way up the ship, hunched over, wearing their thick, dark red robes that covered them from the neck down. They looked rather annoyed, and given that there was not a palanquin waiting by the end of the pier, she assumed they had had to walk some portion of the way there. That would put anybody in a bad mood, especially if one was as ancient as them. When they reached the top of the plank, they bowed in deference to her uncle, their new Fire Lord.</p><p>"Your majesty." they both deferred to him with smiles on their faces; not of happiness, but as if they wanted to earn his favour.</p><p>"Good evening. I hope that you two will take good care of my niece's training while she is away."</p><p>"We certainly will." they both spoke up again, before Lo went on by herself.</p><p>"The Princess is the most prodigious firebender in a generation." she began, her sister taking over.</p><p>"She will study her forms and techniques well."</p><p>"By the time she returns, she will be a firebending master." the two sisters concluded at once, Iroh nodding along, seeming a little unnerved by their manner of speaking.</p><p>"That is what I like to hear. Do not ignore the other aspects of her training. She is a Princess as well as a great firebender." he turned to face her, Azula pursing her lips upward; she did like that her uncle appreciated her other skills, even the trivial ones, like her ability to go toe to toe with him in a Pai Sho game.</p><p>"We will not." they bowed in respect, before they shuffled along toward the bridge; they momentarily turned back to face the Princess, "We will commence your sets tomorrow morning on the deck."</p><p>"Brilliant. I'll have a whole arena to myself." she glanced around at the size of the metal deck which sat between the bridge of the ship and its bow; the two elderly instructors continued along toward the bridge, obviously intending to retire to their quarters- they were old, after all, and probably needed to get a good amount of rest before they began her instructions the next morning.</p><p>"I have a feeling you might enjoy this journey." her uncle commented, making her chuckle.</p><p>"I may." she conceded, pursing her lips upward, "It all depends on what results of it."</p><p>He nodded, before turning his eyes toward the plank, "I best head back to the palace. I'm sure I have some reports to look at, now that I'm the Fire Lord."</p><p>"Oh, then what were you doing this afternoon?" she asked him, the Dragon of the West gesturing around the deck.</p><p>"Other than procuring this magnificent ship? Uh, I meditated and spoke with your brother."</p><p>"What did Zuzu have to say?" she asked, knowing that any mention of her brother and whatever he had to say was worth pursuing; he mightn't have been her father, but her brother still had a knack for his secrets.</p><p>"That he was in disbelief over your decision." he acknowledged, the Princess holding back a scoff.</p><p>That was probably the most reasonable reaction, coming from the boy who thought that she wanted to spend the next few years of their lives constantly undermining him. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't do that; she intended to overturn the line of succession in a less direct fashion.</p><p>"I'm not surprised." she noted, her uncle placing his hands together, looking out toward the horizon idly.</p><p>"Neither am I."</p>
<hr/><p>Hearing a knock on her door, Mai raised a brow; it was nearly dinner time, so she was confused why anyone would be at her room; she considered perhaps the servants had come around to clean her room, and stood up, sighing as she realised she'd have to deal with people. Though school had been cancelled, due to a day of mourning of the death of Fire Lord Azulon, that didn't mean her father was going to tolerate her being idle. He told her to do some work that she had left over from the day prior; just some essay for her history class. She hated it, forced to write about something that didn't concern her in the slightest; it was an essay about some campaign by Fire Lord Sozin, which she had been allocated to write. Each of the girls had to write something about an important historical event in the Fire Nation's history, though with the oddities of their education system, it meant she would have to recount something about the war- that was all there was in the mind of her teacher, or really, any teacher. She stepped over to the door, and pulled it open, surprised to see that it was not a servant, or even her mother or father, but Prince Zuko; he had a serious look on his face, which suggested he'd come over to talk about their struggles rather than anything happy or amusing, which she'd honestly prefer, even if she would never admit it to him.</p><p>"Hi, Mai." he simply addressed her, before he narrowed his eyes at her, "Did you hear about Azula?"</p><p>She raised a brow, confused what he was talking about; she'd spoken to Azula yesterday, when they'd been in class together, but that was it; she didn't seem out of the ordinary then, so she was concerned as to what might have happened since.</p><p>"What?" she asked him, not letting her lips falter, or her eyes move away, "What happened to Azula?"</p><p>"She's leaving the capital tonight." he explained, Mai cocking one eyebrow up, thinking that was an interesting turn of events.</p><p>"Is she going on a holiday?"</p><p>"Oh, I guess you could call it that." he raised a finger up to his chin, "She's going on a journey to find the Avatar."</p><p>"The same Avatar nobody's seen for a hundred years?" she questioned him once more, just to be sure he wasn't joking around.</p><p>The Avatar was so mythic to the world at that point that she thought he was just playing with her; Zuko did, despite his appearances, actually have a sense of humour, though it wasn't the best one around.</p><p>"Yep. A stupid idea, if you ask me." he crossed his arms, Mai remaining unamused by his comment.</p><p>"I didn't ask. I know that already." she rolled her eyes, already having presumed that from what she learned of the Avatar from school.</p><p>Fire Lord Sozin, and all of his heirs, barring Zuko, Azula and their dead cousin, had gone looking for the Avatar at some point; it was brought up to talk about the royal family's traditions, which she had a bit more personal knowledge on, given her relationships with both royal siblings.</p><p>She stepped out of his way and gestured over to her bed, "You can sit down, I guess. Was that all you had to come and talk about?" she asked him bluntly, just wanting to be sure she wasn't getting into more than she bargained for; her friendship, if she could call it that, with Zuko, could bring issue at times, seeing that she had been told things that were probably things that nobody outside of the royal family and the Fire Lord's inner circle would know.</p><p>"No, not just that." he admitted, "My father was perfectly fine with it." he acknowledged, making her raise a brow.</p><p>"Did he tell you that?" she asked the Prince, who sat himself down on the edge of her bed.</p><p>"No, I'm just good at eavesdropping." he added with a small smirk.</p><p>She let a smile out, amused by his behaviour; for someone who feared his father quite a lot, he was quite sneaky and rebellious.</p><p>"You aren't going around, dressing up and listening in to all of his private meetings, are you?" she asked him, already knowing that he had a knack for leaving the palace secretly; a few times he'd shown up at her house, and he even got her a mask and disguise, just so they could hang out around the capital without either of their parents looking over their shoulders.</p><p>"No, no, not all of them." he assured her, though he still admitted it, "He doesn't want me learning the ways of being a Prince, so I had to improvise in some areas."</p><p>"What's he going to do now?" she dared to ask, finding herself intrigued a little further; Zuko mostly conflicted with Azula over the right of who ought to be their father's heir, which made sense, given his seniority and her skills as a firebender and strategist, "You're the only heir he's got around if Azula's off on her impossible quest."</p><p>"I'll wait and listen to what he has to say- not to me, but to his entourage." he admitted, making her raise a brow; he was speaking of things like his father had a conspiracy planned- she didn't know too much about Prince Ozai, but such a scenario was disturbingly believable.</p><p>"Do you really think he's going to do anything... extreme?" she asked him, the Prince tensing up; she glanced out toward the window, considering what she already knew.</p><p>"He'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants." he referred apocryphally to the situation that she already understood; Prince Ozai desired to be Fire Lord Ozai, and since the only thing between him and the throne was the fact his brother was alive, suggested to her that Zuko's father would commit treason of the highest order.</p><p>"I don't really know your uncle, but everyone I speak to holds him in high regard." she admitted, "Do you think they'll stand for... that?"</p><p>"I don't know." he admitted, though she was unsure if he was speaking truthfully; for all she knew, Zuko could already have a good idea of what his father wanted to do, and simply didn't want to tell her, out of fear that it might not end well for her to know such things.</p><p>"And what about Azula?" she asked him, unsure then why Ozai would let his daughter leave, especially considering that she was the favoured child.</p><p>"She's out of the way. Unlike Father, she actually respects Uncle. She would see his moves from a mile away, and maybe she'd warn him."</p><p>"Are you going to tell him?"</p><p>Zuko fell silent, and Mai felt a shiver down her spine; the Prince loved his uncle, she knew that, but how willing he was to sacrifice his own safety in his name, she did not know. He was willing to tell her things, but he didn't want to put her in danger; perhaps it'd be more dangerous to reveal his father's intentions and force him to enact his plans far more forcefully. All she could be certain of, was that despite the ceremonies, Fire Lord Azulon had not been succeeded by his son and heir, Crown Prince Iroh; he had left his home in disarray, and with one spark, it'd be burnt down in an inferno comparable to the mythic throne he had sat upon.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like I got a lot more of a reception for this story than I actually expected, and I'm really happy that so many people like it. I'm really enjoying writing it, though as I already mentioned, I won't be updating this as regularly as my other story. Even if it's being posted at a quicker pace, the chapters here are a lot shorter than those in The Return. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dreams of Adventure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"What do you mean you're leaving?"</em>
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  <em>Azula couldn't believe what she was hearing; well, she could believe that her friend would want to leave her household with six identical sisters, all vying for their parents' attention, but she couldn't believe that Ty Lee would leave her- not just the capital, but leave the homeland.</em>
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  <em>"I want to go to join the circus." she declared confidently, "You know I've always been good at acrobats, Zula." she argued, the Princess rolling her eyes, not amused by her idea in the slightest.</em>
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  <em>"Being good at acrobatics doesn't mean you should just run away." she crossed her arms, "How do you think your parents will react?"</em>
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  <em>"They'll eventually miscount their daughters at the dinner table and realise there's only six. Trust me, it'll take some time for them to realise it." she added, with an amused tone, though her face showed a different emotion.</em>
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  <em>Azula straightened her expression, realising that her friend had to be right; her parents were too ignorant of the differences between their daughters that it would take some time for them to realise when one of them had just disappeared. She didn't know how to respond to that, thinking of her father's own ignorance when it came to her brother; though he regularly checked up with both of their bending, it was only with Azula that he actually discussed things, whether it be day-to-day events or politics. She didn't know whether Zuko deserved the snuffing that he received from her father, but he clearly didn't like it, and he responded in turn by acting rebellious, or at least, as rebellious as a Prince could act.</em>
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  <em>"Perhaps they ought to pay more attention. Inattentiveness is a something that would get a soldier killed, but your parents seem to get away with it fine." she acknowledged, Ty Lee placing her left hand on her check.</em>
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  <em>"You're right, Zula." she agreed with her, "They're ignorant. I get that they have things to do, but they can't take any time to really pay attention to any of us."</em>
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  <em>"So, you want to go off to the circus and get some attention there?" she deduced, Ty Lee narrowing her eyes at her, her expression suggesting that she didn't agree with her judgement.</em>
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  <em>"It's not like that."</em>
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  <em>"Ty Lee, I've known you since I was five." she declared, "The only thing you complain about is your parents or your sisters taking your parent's attention, or your sisters stealing acrobatics." she listed off the most common things Ty Lee would complain about, which in and of itself was a rare thing; her friend was very cheery, and that was compared to someone like her uncle, who despite being a relatively happy and easy-going person, still had his ups and downs, bouts of melancholy.</em>
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  <em>"I..." she mumbled, looking unsure how to respond to her clear analysis of her decision, "I want to be somewhere where I can feel like I'm wanted."</em>
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  <em>"People will want to see your acrobatics." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, "You're good, though... not as good as me."</em>
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  <em>"I'd like to challenge that." she argued, "But I'm on a schedule. I need to talk to Mai as well, before I leave."</em>
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  <em>"I could give you a send off, but I think a Princess of the Fire Nation will attract more attention than it's worth." she acknowledged, excusing herself from having to follow her friend around; part of her wanted to go off with Ty Lee, and the other part told her that was the stupidest idea ever- Azula wanted adventure, and going to join Ty Lee at the circus was not the kind of adventure she wanted.</em>
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  <em>"I get that." she nodded, "You're the- uh- fourth- no, fifth most important person in the Fire Nation."</em>
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  <em>"I'd say fourth." she retorted, "I've met more nobles and generals than my brother. Plus, I got a personal audience with the Fire Sages to show off my blue firebending." she proudly declared her achievements, even if they really weren't much- she'd just achieved more than her brother, in comparison, who just sat in his room all day or talked and drank tea with their uncle, not the most productive lifestyle for a prince, in her opinion.</em>
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  <em>"Don't let your brother hear you say that." she warned, leaning in to whisper as if it were a really big deal, "He might challenge you to an Agni Kai."</em>
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  <em>"Pfft!" she scoffed, trying to hold back a laugh, "Like that's going to happen! He's nothing compared to me."</em>
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  <em>"Maybe with firebending." Ty Lee acknowledged, before narrowing her eyes at him, "But do you know where he sneaks off to?"</em>
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  <em>"Probably to see Mai."</em>
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  <em>"I know he does." she raised a finger, "But he must go to other places. Shady places." she spoke ominously, Azula shrugging her shoulders, not phased by the idea; her brother was not the kind of person to go around doing illegal, dangerous things- he was far too calm and passive for that kind of stuff.</em>
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  <em>"I believe you." she sarcastically replied, placing her hands behind her head as she leaned back onto her bed, "Any other revelations you've got for me today, Ty Lee?"</em>
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  <em>"Nope. Unless you wanted me to tell you all the cute things Mai and Zuko were doing together." she grinned at her, the Princess rolling her eyes; she would rather walk through mud barefoot than have to imagine her brother getting all lovey with a girl, especially one of her best friends.</em>
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  <em>"I wouldn't dream of it." she snickered, before straightening her expression, "No, seriously, I really wouldn't. That's just gross."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Azula rose with the sun, like any other firebender would. Her morning routine consisted of a quick meditation session in her bedroom, before she would have her servants wash her body and hair; that was all before she even considered breakfast, or the firebending training. She knew that on the ship, she needed to maintain a schedule, otherwise she would fall complacent; she was perfect, or at the very least, tried her utmost to be so, and would not stand for any kind of idling. So, as soon as her servants had attended to her daily cleaning, she immediately made her way down the hallway to the deck, where she knew her tutors would be waiting, as they did every morning. Not being firebenders, they got up a little later than her, and thus afforded Azula a little time to herself before she got into her firebending training. It was the most important part of the day and a ritual of sorts, even before she had begun sailing across the world; she had only been on the ship for two weeks, and had yet to arrive at the Western Air Temple, the closest of the four Air Temples to her home, the Fire Nation Capital. She knew, however, there'd be many months to come of the same old training, so she realised that eventually, she'd have to shake it up. Even if she wanted to be perfect and regimental, even she could become bored and frustrated by the same sets and exercises, at the same time of day, every day, for two weeks.</p><p>As she made her way down the hallway, she walked by a few sailors, guards or servants, all of whom might bow to her in respect, or stop and salute in the case of the first group; they would never address her personally, and that was a formality she didn't expect them to break. She was a Princess, and unlike her uncle, she was not one known to be social or be humoured by her lessers; she wanted them to do their jobs, and in turn, she would do hers. That distance she held between herself and the others on the ship was not out of disdain, but rather to simply keep herself focused. When she had been at school, she had had her friends, Ty Lee and Mai, but she had made friends because it was both expected of her, and advantageous on the social sphere; it was much easier to intimidate and earn the respect of the other girls when she had two near-equals by her side.</p><p>Now, she had no need for friends, and had no intention to gain them; respect was what she needed, not some kind of intimacy. If she really desired that so much, she'd go and stop by Ty Lee and her circus at some point. She'd sent Azula a few letters since she left, and thus, she had a general idea where she and the circus she'd joined were, so she knew if she felt inclined, she could go visit her. Of course, recruiting her for her journey was something she had considered, but she knew that at the very moment, it was unnecessary; Azula was going on her own journey, just as Ty Lee had gone on hers, and she had no intention of taking her from what she had taken such a leap to do- running away from home was no small feat.</p><p>When she reached the stairs that led out to the deck, she strode up them without relent, and immediately raised her hand up to block the glare of the early morning sun, which was still not very far above the eastern horizon. She turned around, and saw her two tutors sitting, awaiting her as they always did. Lo and Li smiled at her with their toothless grins, and she simply approached them, moving across the deck toward the pagoda superstructure where they were sitting.</p><p>"Princess Azula, did you have a good rest?" they asked her, the two sisters speaking at once.</p><p>"Yes, I did." she confirmed; she had gotten used to her new bed, and the waters weren't rough the night prior- she was ready to train, even if she had her doubts over the regimen, "What will we begin with?"</p><p>"Your breathing exercises." Lo began, before her sister continued on.</p><p>"We have decided they may be of use for perfecting your lightning generation."</p><p>She tried to hold back a scoff, simply raising a brow at their suggestion, "And who did you get this wisdom from, my uncle?"</p><p>"Oh, no." the two sisters shook their heads, "We have been reading Fire Lord Azulon's personal writings about firebending theory."</p><p>She crossed her arms, realising that they had been reading such documents while not granting her access, "And why wasn't I informed of these documents? I could have been reading them in my spare time instead of stupidly wasting my time meditating." she argued, trying to keep a calm voice; her tutors were not unnerved by her tone, already used to dealing with her temper. </p><p>Of course, she did get angry, but she was nothing like Zuko; the last time she had seen him get angry, she had decided she would avoid sparring him, if only to avoid the viciousness that came out with his heightened emotional state. Her brother was always the more untempered of the two, but he'd gotten better at masking her emotions; that didn't mean he was good at it, just rather that he had gone from being a bumbling, awkward Prince to a slightly more suave and stoic one.</p><p>"Princess Azula, we apologise." her two tutors bowing their heads down in respect, "We will have the documents sent to your room as soon as we finish your training for the morning."</p><p>She didn't thank them, simply staring them down; she found them a lot harder to read than most people, though perhaps it was because they were focused, serious individuals who didn't like to let emotion play into their duties as her tutor. That was compared to her father, who despite his best acting, was a rather easy to understand person, once she had seen him shout enough at her brother, or at any servants that frustrated him; Prince Ozai was a man who desired, more than anything, perfection and excellence, not just in her, but everyone he interacted with. Her brother, on the other hand, had gotten better at masking his actual emotions over time, with his cold, uncaring glares, and constantly angry, bitter tone. Azula did note that it might have more been his disdain toward her rather than being constantly angry that brought out this unreadable ‘mask' that he wore.</p><p>"Well then." she spoke up, "Are we going to start, or what?" she asked her tutors, who both straightened their postures as they stared her down.</p><p>"Please, sit down, Princess." they both spoke at the same time, Azula following their suggestion, striding a little closer to them before sitting down on the platform, just below them.</p><p>"So what do Grandfather's breathing exercises involve?" she simply asked them, her tutors remaining silent for a moment, before Lo spoke up.</p><p>"You must clear your mind, and remain focused on your breath, and through it your chi." she explained, before her sister continued.</p><p>"In being at one with your internal energies, you will have better control over your bending." she explained, before the two of them spoke in unison.</p><p>"This will allow you to master the art of lightning generation."</p><p>She nodded along, placing her hands in her lap as she took a deep breath, considering what they had told her, "First, take ten long breaths." Li clarified, the Princess closing her eyes and beginning to do just that.</p><p>Letting the air come into her lungs, she felt herself be filled, if only for a few moments, by all the air, and felt the fire in her chest grow brighter, before she let the air out, the fire dimming somewhat. Though it wasn't a literal fire, her inner fire was the closest thing to the physical manifestation of her flames that she could comprehend. It moved with her breath, and flowed with the internal movements of her body; it grew stronger as the sun rose in the sky, just like the rest of her body, and oscillated with every breath, no matter how minor and unnoticeable, she took. The morning sun wasn't as strong as that in the middle of the day, and thus, her inner fire wasn't as strong as she knew it could be. That didn't mean, however, that her breathing was any less effective. With each breath, she felt a stronger control over her inner fire; even without the emotional drive to firebend, she could feel the strength that sat there, latent, waiting to be wielded. By the tenth breath, she felt herself at one with her inner flame, and was able to easily manifest a small blue flame right in front of her, without even moving her hands; she had no need to, as the fire was not created through any form, but from her breath alone. She looked back up toward her tutors, who looked approving of her quick exercise.</p><p>Lo began with her toothless smile, "Brilliant, your highness." she commended her, "Now, you must manifest your inner fire, and wield it, without any feeling."</p><p>"Show us the pure power of your flames." the two of them spoke at once, the Princess raising her chin up.</p><p>She thought of all that drove her firebending; her desire to prove herself, to her father, to her uncle, to the Fire Nation as a whole. Not just that, but her desire to perfect herself, to become the perfect Princess; such an achievement was independent of the gazes of others, but came from her own ego, what she most desired to be. Then there was the anger that she felt; the anger she felt toward Zuko for his unnecessary disdain toward her, and his desire to get in the way of her relationships. With their father, with their uncle, and even with Mai, though she felt that might get his way with the last of those three, especially now that she was gone from the Fire Nation Capital.</p><p>She acknowledged all those thoughts, and pushed them away, thinking only of her flames, only of the strength that she held. Not for what she desired to wield it, or the authority it gave her over others; she didn't want to think of that, and she was sure her tutors didn't either. She only thought of the flame itself; the purity of it, the strength it held, even only a little blue flame in her hands. She felt the heat in her hands, and she brought them together, breathing in and out as she already had while doing the breathing exercise. She then let the flames form, without thinking to control them, simply to let them be; and they did form, quickly forming a fire in her hands, which felt so hot, yet it didn't burn her. She felt the strength, not just in the heat it gave off, but the constant, unwavering pulsations, that came with her breath.</p><p>Her mind was empty, and she closed her eyes once more, standing up slowly as she drew her hands out; she could feel the flames moving around freely, and she held her grip on them, letting them flow around and out freely for a few moments, before she turned around, directing all of her strength into a fire stream; she hadn't expected it to be so potent and bright as she fired up above the deck. She smiled at what she had created, simply glad that she was still capable, without even thinking about it. Perhaps it was the confidence she held in her bending that could drive it so strong, without any other thought; she didn't know, and Azula decided not to press on it.</p><p>"Good, good." both her tutors commended her, "That was quite impressive."</p><p>Lo began to speak alone, "Now you ought to begin your practice."</p><p>"Going straight to lightning is not recommended, so we have some build-up exercises ready." Li added, the Princess turning around to face them, surprised by their caution.</p><p>Perhaps Azula had underestimated her grandfather's firebending, or at least, the thought and preparation he put into his techniques; he was an old man, but at some point, he must have been a young Prince, not too different to her.</p><p>She turned around once more, "Then, what do I start with?" she simply asked them, her two tutors looking at each other.</p><p>"We thought you ought to take the last set you learned." they clarified, the Princess nodding; she had been working on said set, which was rather simple in her eyes, though it required some complex moves.</p><p>She would have to bend her flames around and charge them, as the set required her to fire them; the interesting part was that she would have bend with her feet. Though Azula thought she was fully capable of bending via her feet, she knew that she had less control and power than with her hands or her mouth even, having made good use of fire breath. Of course, it was in less sets and forms than her feet and hands were, but she still learned it, as it was an effective and practical technique to use; by using fire breath, she could, in a potential scenario where she might have her hands bound, firebend with her full strength, and even in situations where she had her hands to use, it could be used to channel a fire stream to both intimidate and strike her opponents. She shook her head, knowing that she was putting too much thought into thinking about such a scenario and not into her set. She needed to show her tutors that she had perfected it, as otherwise, she would not be able to move onto better sets, nor work on her lightning-bending, as she desired to.</p><p>Taking her stance, she imagined what the resulting set would look like, where the flames would be sent out and exactly how many breaths it would take her to achieve it. Azula began the set by bending a circle of flames to charge two fireballs in her fists, before she began to move forward, volleying the fireballs as if she were trying to strike an opponent, or potentially, a line of them. With each breath she found her fire growing more intense, and instead of directing that strength into the bolts of fire she was sending out, she readied herself for the main move of the set. First, she raised her right leg and spun it around, sending out a wave of flames aiming to strike across the deck from her at approximately her own height; in a real fight, that would knock a number of enemies right in their heads, blinding them from her next move. She then leapt forward, jumping into the air and front flipping as she charged two jets of fire at her soles, which increased the velocity with which she spun, before she channelled all her strength into her feet as she sent out a massive fire blast from her feet. It soared across the deck and struck the pointed bow of the ship, which made the deck creak as she landed back on it.</p><p>Azula smirked, confident as ever in her bending skills; without even asking her tutors, she immediately moved to the form she had been preparing herself to do, placing her hands across each other, her fingers on her hips as she began to manipulate her chi, slowly and carefully moving her fingers up in a circular arc. She then stepped forward with her left foot and spun her hands around once more, her fingers charging sparks between them, proof that she was able and ready to achieve it. Finally, she stepped forward with her right foot, and thrust her hand forward, channelling the energy in her body into that one point, which allowed her to create a lightning bolt. The bright and near deafening attack shot out immediately, up into the sky above the deck.</p><p>"Brilliant work, Princess Azula." Lo commended her efforts, before her sister spoke up.</p><p>"There is just one hair out of place." Li added, gesturing to her forehead; Azula immediately took note of the loose strand of hair and groaned with frustration, though she made sure to be quiet enough to not be noticed by her tutors.</p><p>She pulled the hair back into place and looked back their way; she would perfect her lightning generation, knowing it was the one tool she knew would be vital in a one-on-one fight with the master of the elements, once she found him.</p><p>"But does it work? I'm not looking to impress the Avatar, I want to defeat him." she retorted, her tutors taken aback by her response.</p><p>"You can always be faster, more ruthless." Lo acknowledged, her sister raising a finger to her chin.</p><p>"You are capable, you simply need to make sure you are faster than him."</p><p>"Nobody has seen the Avatar in a hundred years, how can you be sure I'm not as fast as a hundred year old man."</p><p>"Fire Lord Azulon's notes also spoke of the Avatar." Lo and Li spoke in unison, the Princess narrowing her eyes at them.</p><p>"Do you mean he was theorising how to slay him?" she asked them, her tutors looking at each other, before shaking their heads.</p><p>"No, your highness. He had learned from his father, Fire Lord Sozin, how he himself had killed the previous Avatar." Li clarified, her sister continuing along from her.</p><p>"He couldn't." she admitted bluntly, "He had to wait for a volcanic eruption to do the job for him. He prevented the Avatar's escape, but he could not kill the man himself."</p><p>"I don't think I have any volcanoes waiting to throw the Avatar into." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, "Also, I don't intend to kill him. Only disable and imprison. He is an enemy of the Fire Nation, but I do not intend to just do away with his life. That would simply lead to the next Avatar being born in the Water Tribes, would it not?"</p><p>Her tutors nodded in confirmation, before she turned away from them, "So Grandfather's wisdom won't be very helpful here. He never found the Avatar, and I don't think he wanted to." she declared, her tutors looking at her with surprised expressions; she knew that they knew her grandfather personally, so they were obviously taken aback by her claim.</p><p>"Fire Lord Azulon spent years looking for the Avatar during his youth, but did not succeed." Li clarified.</p><p>"Do not mistake his failure for complacency." her sister warned the Princess, who almost scoffed, amused by their suggestion; they did not know the pressure she was under to achieve her goal, even if she had gone about it willingly.</p><p>"Failure and complacency are one and the same."</p><hr/><p>Standing in front of the door that led into his Uncle's personal study, Prince Zuko eyed the guards that stood there, intently protecting their Fire Lord; they obviously knew he was there to speak with his uncle, and he tried his best to give off as calm and uninvolved a look as possible. He didn't want to seem like he was angry, because he was not; that didn't mean he was in a good mood, however, and the Prince desired to speak with his uncle because of that. He did not want his uncle to bear the brunt of his lamentations, but instead, simply desired to work around his problem; his problem being his very father, Prince Ozai, and his forceful words and disinterest in letting his son and heir partake in any duties befitting of his rank. He had grown more frustrated since his sister had departed, coming to realise that she was less of a problem than he had first assumed; the real issue was his father's preconceptions of Zuko.</p><p>"Are you going to let me speak to my uncle?" he simply asked the guards, whose expressions were masked by their intimidating helmets.</p><p>"The Fire Lord is busy dealing with financial reports from across the country. He asked to not be disturbed, my Prince." one of them explained, Zuko raising a finger to his forehead, frustrated by the fact of the matter; it was half way between sunrise and midday, and knowing his uncle's schedule well enough, he knew there was a brilliant excuse to get him out of his office, or at the very least, let his nephew inside.</p><p>"Could you simply relay that I wanted to have some morning tea with him?" he requested, the guards momentarily glancing toward each other before one of them knocked on the door.</p><p>"Yes?" he heard his uncle's voice, before the guard pushed the door ajar.</p><p>"Prince Zuko is here. He wants to have tea." he explained, Zuko immediately hearing his uncle stand up from his chair, which made a cringeworthy sound as it was shunted away from the desk.</p><p>"That's brilliant news." his uncle acknowledged with a hearty, appreciative voice, before the door was fully opened, revealing him to Zuko; seeing his uncle wearing the flowing, yet intimidating robes of the Fire Lord was truly something odd, though he had gotten used to it over the past few weeks, "Did you want to have some morning tea with me, Nephew?"</p><p>He nodded, bowing slightly to his uncle, knowing that he ought to give the proper deference to the man who was now the Fire Lord, "Yes, Uncle. I would be honoured if I could join you."</p><p>"No need to be so formal, Prince Zuko. Lighten up." Iroh smiled at him, striding over toward him, before glancing at his guards, "My nephew and I will be going to the tea room. You may guard from outside, but I'd prefer to sit with my nephew alone."</p><p>"Of course, your majesty." both of the guards acknowledging him with a bow; the Fire Lord strode past them, and his nephew followed in suit, knowing that he shouldn't keep him waiting. The two of them walked down the dim hallway, heading in the direction of the better lit areas of the palace. The tea rooms were next to a garden, and was one of the nicer places to sit in the palace.</p><p>Zuko had no idea why the designers made the palace so dark, forcing the interior to be lit by torches throughout. He considered perhaps his ancestor, Fire Lord Sozin, might have made it like so to use his bending more intimidatingly, as he could probably bend the torches inside to threaten his subjects. His grandfather had liked to do just that on his throne, driving fear into the hearts of his own grandchildren with his cold voice and piercing glare, that was only made more intimidating by the flames around him. The Prince was sure that his far more amicable uncle would do nothing of the sort, and was glad those times were behind him; though he didn't think everyone ought to be as kind as his uncle, he knew that it was better to be kind than to be a cold, unforgiving Fire Lord. He was certain that was what his father would be if he ever took the throne.</p><p>They quickly made their way to the tea-room, Zuko raising his hand to readjust his eyes to the light, before he sat himself down beside his uncle, who had decided to sit in front of the table usually reserved for his Pai Sho games. He wondered if he wanted to play, though the Prince was sure he wouldn't stand a chance against him.</p><p>"Would you like a game, Prince Zuko? I'm sure it would be fun." he suggested, Zuko shaking his head, not wanting to embarrass himself like that.</p><p>"I'd prefer not to, Uncle. You're unmatched when it comes to Pai Sho."</p><p>His uncle raised a brow, "Hmph, then perhaps I should teach you. Pai Sho is an interesting game, Nephew. It has many secrets and wisdoms; you only need to look in the right places, and they can reveal themselves." he gestured his hands across the table, the Prince sighing, knowing that he had things to attend to, even if he didn't want to disappoint him.</p><p>"Maybe another time. I just wanted to share a cup of tea with you." he admitted, Iroh nodding with a small pout, obviously disappointed he didn't accept his offer.</p><p>"That is fine." he raised his hand, gesturing for a servant to come over to them, "Two cups of ginseng tea, please."</p><p>"Of course, your majesty." the servant bowed to him, before quickly making their way out of the room to retrieve their tea.</p><p>"So..." Iroh turned his gaze back toward his nephew, "Why did you come to ask for tea? You usually only do that if you have something to ask of me." he observed, the Prince's eyes darting down; he didn't want to seem insincere, as he genuinely did want to spend time with his uncle.</p><p>"You're right." he conceded, "I am sorry, Uncle. I would not have asked to speak with you if there was another choice."</p><p>The Fire Lord straightened his posture, crossing his arms in the process; the look on his uncle's face had shifted. Moments earlier, he was jovial, but not, he was the Dragon of the West, the man who had conquered Ba Sing Se and practically ended the Hundred Year War, "I see." he raised his left hand to his goatee, "This has to do with my brother, does it?"</p><p>"Yes." he conceded, "I didn't want to address this matter in public. Father has people everywhere, as you probably already know."</p><p>"Of course." Iroh nodded, his eyes showing the concern, however calm, he had with his brother, "My brother has always been one for intrigue over the battlefield. I would commend it, if the intrigue was working in my favour."</p><p>"He doesn't want me attending war meetings, or meeting ministers. Father continues to refuse me my rightful role. I'm sixteen, Uncle. I'm not a little boy anymore, but he continues to treat me as if I can't serve my country."</p><p>"I know, Nephew." the Fire Lord let out an exasperated sigh, "I will speak with Ozai about this."</p><p>"Please don't tell him I came to you." Zuko spoke up, forcing himself to speak; he couldn't put himself in danger, even if he wanted to do his duties as badly as he did, "He'll... well, I don't know what he'll do, but he won't take it well."</p><p>"I know. I won't, I'll simply recommend to him that you ought to step up as his heir. You are third in line to the throne, Zuko. One day, you will be the Fire Lord." he acknowledged, "But, may I ask, why has this become an issue now? Your father hasn't exactly been forthcoming with you for many years now."</p><p>"Azula isn't here." he simply stated the fact of the matter, "I am my father's only child present in the court. I should be where she was." he added, knowing that without Azula around, he was the only one who could step into her boots.</p><p>"Your sister's absence... it may be hard on your father. He mightn't have wanted her to leave."</p><p>"Of course he didn't." Zuko snarled, turning away as he tried to mask his annoyance; his sister unrightfully earned their father's respect, while he toiled away, trying to learn and achieve what he could- it was unfair, and now, he couldn't stand for it.</p><p>"I will speak to him, I assure you, Nephew. But this isn't Azula's fault. She is simply doing the same as you are. She seeks to serve, and I let her go on her journey."</p><p>"I know you respect her, but believe me, she cannot be trusted, Uncle." he spoke up, speaking his mind as bluntly as he could with him; he didn't know what Azula intended, but she must have had some plan to do with capturing the Avatar- what it was, he couldn't be sure, "She's trying to capture the Avatar for what, exactly? She's fourth in line for the throne."</p><p>"I will make my own judgements on the character of your sister." he spoke sternly to Zuko, which was not comforting in the slightest; if Iroh liked his sister well enough, then there was a chance she could usurp his position in the line of succession, "I believe she is simply preparing herself for higher roles. Perhaps she seeks to become a General, like I was."</p><p>"Why can't I have that?" he asked him simply, the Fire Lord's eyes widening.</p><p>"You can... Prince Zuko, if you want to serve your country in... that manner, you can do it." he assured him, though his tone was uneasy; he was thinking about Lu Ten, and Zuko hated himself for forcing those memories up- his uncle had suffered much, and the young Prince had much to learn.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean you remind you of that." he apologised, "I simply want to do what I know- what I know I was born to do."</p><p>"You're sounding a lot like your sister when you phrase it like that."</p><p>"She thinks she's favoured by destiny or something like that." he mumbled, remembering the cocky speeches she liked to give, to either their father or to him, about just that, "I doubt it. I want to make my own destiny, Uncle."</p><p>"I'm glad that you think that, Prince Zuko. That is something that takes courage." he commended him, making the Prince smile, glad that his uncle thought he had some virtues that were worthy of praise.</p><p>"Is courage all it takes?"</p><p>"Perhaps some wit is required as well." he chuckled, "But you have that too, my nephew." he assured him, before turning around, glancing to the servant who was bringing in the tray of ginseng tea.</p><p>"Ginseng tea, your majesty." the servant knelt down, placing the tray in front of them, before pouring them each a cup.</p><p>"Thank you." Zuko nodded, and his uncle did the same; the servant removed the cups and pot from the tray, leaving it there for the two royals to refill their cups, if need be.</p><p>Once the servant walked on out of the tea-room, he turned to face Iroh, wondering what he ought to say; he didn't know if there was anything else he needed to. His uncle believed in him, and even if that hadn't helped in the past, with him on the throne, it seemed like it might come more in handy.</p><p>"You are kinder than most people, Uncle." he complimented him, "I am glad to have you here to help me."</p><p>For some reason, those words seemed to reach his uncle like the morning sun rising above the horizon; the beaming smile he made toward him wasn't exactly surprising, but his hand reaching across the table to hold his own was. He stared his nephew down, appreciative of what he had said, before gesturing toward his cup.</p><p>"Drink up, Prince Zuko." he suggested, Zuko grasping the cup and raising it to his lips, before he sipped from it; the tea tasted fine and warmed his chest, making the Prince feel as if his chi itself was being replenished.</p><p>"This is good tea." he noted, his uncle raising his chest up as he grinned at him.</p><p>"Of course it is. It's my favourite." his uncle proudly declared, before placing his hands down on the table, "Are you sure you don't want to play Pai Sho?" he asked him, the Prince turning his eyes away; now that he had gotten what he wanted, he guessed that he could spare some time- it wasn't like he was doing much, anyway.</p><p>"I have a feeling I'm going to walk away in a bad mood." he noted, his uncle raising a finger up.</p><p>"You can learn from failure, Nephew. How do you think I became such a good player?" he asked him rhetorically, which interested Zuko, who had thought his uncle was practically unbeatable- it made sense, of course, that he had once not been as good as he currently was.</p><p>"Who beat you?"</p><p>"Countless people. My father, my comrades in the war, even random strangers I've met on my travels. But most people aren't as dedicated as I am- I always come out on top at the end."</p><p>"Resolve." the Prince mumbled, "Resolve is the way to victory."</p><p>"And an open mind is the path to wisdom, which is another way to victory." he countered Zuko's near proverbial comment.</p><p>"Can you teach me how to play better?" he asked his uncle, who gave him a curt nod, before he narrowed his glare.</p><p>"Yes, but you need to be patient. I know you tend to get frustrated easily." he commented on a part of the young Prince's personality that he honestly wished he could dispense with; he made a small chuckle, before he raised his cup up to his lips, so he could smell the calming tea- perhaps it would help quell his frustrations.</p><p>"I'll have to learn that too."</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Places of War</h2></a>
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  <em>"Father, you have to get up."</em>
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  <em>General Iroh blinked a few times as he realised his son was calling on him; he had decided to sleep in that morning, knowing that he had gotten a little too into the party he had the night prior with the other ranking officers. They were already approaching the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, and though the Earth Kingdom mounted a formidable defence, they were overstretched and could no longer hold his army back.</em>
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  <em>He had wanted to simply rest, as he knew he would need to be well rested for dealing with the day's affairs, knowing that he had battle-plans to finalise and messages from his subordinates to deal with. His army being spread across a large portion of the western side of the Outer Wall posed a number of challenges in and of itself, and he knew that their operation would only be successful if they could draw away the Earth Kingdom for long enough to break through a part of the wall. Their earthbenders would repair it quickly than they could barrage it, otherwise.</em>
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  <em>"I apologise, my son." he mumbled, raising his head up from the pillow; he had been sleeping on a stretcher, and though it was more comfortable than lying on the ground, it was not the same as the fine beds of the palace, "I just... well, I really should have gone to bed earlier."</em>
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  <em>"Yeah." Lu Ten nodded, before he gestured over to Iroh's armour set, which was sitting on a wooden stand, ready for him to put on, "Well, get dressed. You don't have any time to wash. The officers are all waiting for you in the command tent."</em>
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  <em>"W-wait, all of them?" he asked, the young Prince giving him an affirmative by the unease on his face.</em>
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  <em>"Father, you really do need to hurry up." he stressed, before turning around, "I'll just wait outside. You deserve to be able to dress yourself in peace." he conceded, stepping out of the tent.</em>
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  <em>The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was really getting too old to get up at such an early hour and go to a war meeting. Though he was more than ready to lead his men on campaign, he knew that the sleep-schedule it demanded of him would be a struggle to keep up with; though as a firebender, he usually rose with the sun, he didn't find himself with the energy to get up for while after sunrise.</em>
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  <em>"Maybe I need to take a vacation after we win the war." he mumbled, "Lu Ten might like to go to Ember Island again." he acknowledged, before chuckling, imagining what his teenage son might get up to, "He might even find himself a girlfriend."</em>
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  <em>He quickly pulled himself up from the stretcher, raising his arms up into the air, making a rather loud and obnoxious yawn; he could get away with it, being the general of the army and Crown Prince- most men would be scorned by their superiors for doing so. Iroh glanced over to his chest of belongings, which was only as big as it had to be; he had already placed his robes there the evening prior to change into, and because of that, Iroh was able to quickly switch from his long, comfortable night-gown into his fitted robes. They sat snugly under his rather clunky armour; despite its cumbersome weight, it protected him well in battle, so he had no need to complain about it.</em>
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  <em>He immediately pulled his chestplate over his torso, tightening it only once, not thinking he was going to run into battle any time soon, even if he was expected to wear it. The armour sat loosely over his torso, which was a little more comfortable; Iroh had been trying his best to remain fit, but his body wasn't what it had used to be, and being stuck planning and on a komodo-rhino at most times, he couldn't stay with the training regimes he had built up when he was Lu Ten's age. As soon as he had the shoulder plates and boots on, which he was able to put in place and tighten with haste, having done it a thousand times before, he immediately exited the tent, turning to face his son, who had a tense look on his face. Iroh hated stressing his son out, though he knew that he relied on him for both timely advice and assistance; he would be going back to his unit once they actually began the fighting, so he appreciated the time they had together while they were still planning their assault on the Outer Wall.</em>
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  <em>"Father, let's go. I'm sure I can excuse your actions by saying you had to go to the toilet." he suggested, making Iroh snicker.</em>
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  <em>"And how is that any less embarrassing?"</em>
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  <em>"People have more control over when they sleep than their bowels." he argued, the Crown Prince finding such a claim hard to believe.</em>
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  <em>"Are you sure, Lu Ten?" he asked him with an amused voice, to which his son simply rolled his eyes.</em>
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  <em>"Okay, okay, maybe I didn't hear that from the most reputable source." he conceded, before gesturing ahead of them, pointing out the command tent which sat impressively above the other tents with its flags and golden trimmings, "Let's just get to the meeting, Dad."</em>
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  <em>The pair strode along through the busy campsite, Iroh noting that many people were already up and about dissembling some of the tents, as they were set to move closer to the wall by midday. That was the original plan, at least, and Iroh knew scouts came in and out of their campsite multiple times a day with new reports on Earth Kingdom troop numbers and movements. He'd need to be cautious with their approach, knowing too many previous attacks on the Earth Kingdom's capital had failed due to brash generals and their big plans, usually ending with their forces getting pummelled by massive boulders fired from the top of the wall. He was determined to not make the same mistake; the Dragon of the West raised a finger to his eyelids, wiping the sleep from them, before he grasped both of his cheeks, trying to make sure he was of the right composure before entering the tent. He was meant to be their General, the man who would lead them to victory, not a dazed and tired man with no regard for punctuality.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When he stepped into the tent, with his son by his side, all eyes turned to him; Iroh did not feel nervous, having dealt with soldiers all his life. He was ready to sit down, listen to people's reports, and offer his own advice when need be. Otherwise, he was to formulate his plans, knowing that without one, he'd be practically approaching the city blind. He did not know of the conditions which they might face, but he did know that their forces were well equipped and ready to fight- all they needed was the right guidance to make sure whatever battles they fought were all working toward the ultimate goal of conquering Ba Sing Se, the city which had been, until then, impenetrable.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good morning." he smiled at the men, moving to take his seat at the head of the table, being the general, after all, "I hope that you have all rested well."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The soldiers nodded along, some of them more confidently than others; perhaps some had enjoyed their sleep, like he had, while others had not. He would hate to be the man to force himself out of bed every day before dawn just because it made him feel like he had more control over his life. Iroh was not the kind of man to trifle with such things, knowing that knowledge itself was his tool, and preparation was only one part of winning the war.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What reports do we have to discuss?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The northern division has reported a weakness in the enemy defences, left over from a previous Fire Nation attack on the wall." one of his officers spoke up, before another cleared his throat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There is a report that the rail system into the city, located in the south, is vulnerable to our forces." he spoke up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What of the centre?" Iroh asked, knowing that was where the Fire Nation's forces were currently concentrated, scoping out the strength of the enemy's defences, which seemed to be just as formidable as they had been in any prior attack.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Earth Kingdom has a whole army located on the central portion of the wall, and they seem well equipped to move north and south along the wall to fire on our forces, General." an officer answered his question rather succinctly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well then, we should look to dealing with this army and its mobility first, should we not? If the enemy cannot reach our forces, we will be able to breach the wall with far more ease." he decided, the officers nodding along.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A brilliant idea, sir." one of his subordinates commended him before looking at him with a more concerned face, "But where do we intend to focus our attack."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"To begin with, I believe it would be unwise to focus solely on a single portion of the wall. We need to make the enemy believe we are stronger than we actually are. If we spread out our attacks, they will be forced to disperse their strength." he argued, knowing that was a staple strategy the Fire Nation had used in the war so far; many an Earth Kingdom army had faltered because they were too slow or simply too stubborn to give up their defences and consider their swift flanking manoeuvres, "With their strength dispersed, we will be able to more easily attend to blocking their mobility. Shattering upper portions of the wall in a few key locations may do the trick, though I believe we ought to have our scouts check this more before deciding on which places to attack."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The walls will fall by your hand, General." one of the subordinates proudly declared, obviously thinking Iroh's plan was a good one.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thank you for your support, but I cannot achieve this with just plans alone. I need all of you, and your men, to act precisely and as swiftly as possible. Without our strengths working to our advantage, this siege will not succeed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The eyes of his subordinates flickered with thought, before each of them turned his way; they all bowed to him in respect, and uttered the same thing to him in unison.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It will be done, sir."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The silence around Azula was a little eerie, the only sound she could hear around her being that of the wispy gusts that blew into the Western Air Temple, and the sound of her guards boots behind her. She glanced off to her left, taking note of the sheer rock face, which they had avoided climbing by accessing the temple from above, which had been its own struggle. Her men were equipped with the tools they needed to reach the temple; ropes, hooks and compasses, to ensure they didn't lose their way in the labyrinthine and unusual place they'd found themselves in. With each step she took, she glanced around the courtyard they were crossing, trying to spot out anything of note; it seemed like nobody had levied in the place for a very long time. She thought perhaps refugees might have come and used it as a hiding spot, seeing that it was far from the reach of the Fire Nation. She deduced that nobody had tried to occupy the temples after they wiped out the Air Nomads, and with good reason- they had to be some of the most isolated, hard to reach places in the world.</p><p>The lack of occupation was a good thing, however, as it would mean that it was more likely that any evidence of the Avatar, if they had even been at that temple, would be relatively undisturbed. She had no idea where the Avatar was hiding, but she assumed that it had to be somewhere far away from people; there had been no rumours of Avatar sightings, which drew her to that conclusion. The Air Temples were a possible hiding spot, but it wasn't the only place he could be hiding. There was wilderness in the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes where a hermit could easily hide and never have to interact with others, even if they struggled to survive.</p><p>She guessed from the lack of evidence pointing to occupation, that the Avatar most likely wasn't hiding in the Western Air Temple. However, that didn't mean that the Western Air Temple wouldn't hold evidence of where the Avatar might have gone; the Air Nomads travelled around alot, which made sense, given they were called such, but the locations where they commonly congregated was beyond the information she could scour from the Dragonbone Catacombs in the capital, and from the Fire Sages themselves.</p><p>"Your highness." she heard one of her guards address her, the Princess turning around to face him.</p><p>"What is it?" she asked him with a snappy tone, not having any time for their concerns; their job was to protect her, though she didn't need much protecting, so instead, she only needed them there as extra eyes and ears.</p><p>"Did you want us to look around the temple for any kind of materials left over from the Air Nomads?" he asked her, the Princess furrowing a brow.</p><p>"Scrolls would help." she admitted, before she cleared her throat, having decided on an order, "I want you all to gather any evidence that actually details information about their traditions, bending practices and locations they travelled to. Anything that actually might give us a better idea where the Avatar could be hiding, or if they're hiding in plain sight, where they'd be travelling to." she explained, the Imperial Firebenders all nodding along; with that command, they spread out, walking off in different directions, taking the stairs or entering compounds, looking for what she had requested.</p><p>Azula turned her attention to a large fountain that sat in the centre of the temple, in front of what must have been some kind of common eating area. She strode over to it, narrowing her eyes around at the large wooden doors that sat between her and the eating area, which seemed to be intricately designed, and not damaged, despite what must have happened at the temple all those years ago. She stepped through a gap in the doors, glancing around the area, spotting an oddly placed stick, which was burnt and cut into two, presumably by a firebending attack. The fact that the break between the two sticks seemed to be quite small, yet the burn marks close, suggested the fire that hit it was extremely hot.</p><p>She didn't know for certain what the power of Sozin's Comet would bring, and seeing that it was coming in less than a year, she felt a sense of anticipation about it; she didn't know if the power it would grant to the Fire Nation would help them much, given that they'd already conquered the Earth Kingdom. Using it to conquer the Northern Water Tribe was a possibility, but she was unsure if her uncle would consider that use of naval resources worthwhile, given the potential casualties they'd suffer in the harsh terrain of the ice and tundra.</p><p>Kneeling over, she picked up one end of the stick, noting there was some kind of mechanical part inside of it; reaching her fingers inside, she pulled on the end of the mechanism, suddenly causing the stick to open up, and two paper wings flicked out. It was an airbender's glider staff; she analysed it with interest, wondering how it might have been used when it was whole. She picked up the other end of the staff, raising them both up, trying to imagine how it would have appeared; she held the two ends apart, and noted that the cut through the middle was right at her face when she held the staff pieces up in front of her. The thought that the wielder of said weapon had died by having their face burnt off by the kind of flames that could sear wood in half was macabre, even for her.</p><p>She glanced back around the area, placing the staff pieces back on the ground, wondering if there were any more artifacts, perhaps one that was more intact than the one she had just found. Azula made her way over toward a nearby compound, curious if there was anything inside of use. The upside down buildings of the Western Air Temple confused her, though she knew she could reach the other structures with a little help from their hooks and ropes. That wasn't what she was focusing on at that very moment, however, as she moved toward the building, which had no door; she wondered whether it had been vaporised into ash by firebending, or there was none to begin with.</p><p>Stepping through the doorway, she noted that the area must have been some kind of tea room, or at least something similar. Despite the old, damaged furnishings, or just furniture carved out of stone, which was a lot more persistent to the age and wear of time, it reminded her of the tea rooms in the palace where her uncle would like to sit, where they'd play Pai Sho together. She would admit that she missed the intellectual stimulation that her uncle's skillful playing brought to her day, though she would never ask anybody else to play Pai Sho. She knew that she'd probably thrash anybody on the ship, and they'd probably be too nervous to play with her anyway; she was the Princess, and she had no intention of playing the game with Lo and Li, the only people who would probably be capable and willing to do so. They were such dull and tedious people that she'd rather meditate and do nothing all day than have to stand a game of Pai Sho with them.</p><p>Glancing around, she took note of a few shelves, which had been cleared of whatever had been sitting on them; she wanted some scrolls, at the very least, to take back to the ship once she was done scouring the temple. That would make up for the struggle they took to get there. It seemed, however, that thieves or the original Fire Nation attackers had seized whatever was originally there. There was neither bodies nor much evidence of the Air Nomad's material culture, other than statues, buildings and furniture, all of which were a fair bit harder to steal than scrolls and other artifacts. Strewn across the floor were shattered ceramics, which she could tell had at one point formed a set of tea cups. She knelt over beside the table that had been in the middle of the room, which had been shattered, presumably by a body being thrown onto it, and lifted the wood up, wondering if there was anything underneath.</p><p>The Princess's expression brightened when she saw something that would be of use to her; a tied up scroll, flattened by being stuck under the table for a century. She reached under and grasped it pulling it out; other than the folds and creases that had been formed by its position, the scroll seemed to be in quite good condition, and hadn't been burned or damaged during the Fire Nation's assault on the temple. She unfurled the scroll, and immediately recognised its contents; the resemblance of the art style and structure to the firebending scrolls she had studied to learn her sets was uncanny. Of course, it made sense that they'd structure it a similar way, given that bending, despite its differences between cultures and the actual elements themselves, was learnt and understood similarly.</p><p>"Airbending forms." she whispered, before narrowing her eyes at the scroll.</p><p>Looking at how the forms gracefully moved along, similar enough to her own bending that she understood it, though it had something distinctively alien about it; the lack of force, the weaving and dodging, all seemed antithetical to how she understood bending, of all kinds. She didn't know much about waterbending or earthbending, but she knew enough that they, like firebending, were all about manipulating strength and energies; airbending just seemed to look like avoiding that all together, where the wielder would just remain impartial and flow around the threats they faced.</p><p>"Maybe that's why they lost. They were detached from our reality." she chuckled to herself, finding the idea to be amusing, if not tragic; the ignorance of a group of people dedicated to pacifism, freedom and impartiality would be poorly equipped to deal with the Fire Nation, let alone any opponent.</p><p>She narrowed her eyes in thought considering the concept of detachment for a moment; when she thought about such a mindset, she could only consider one person- her uncle. Though the Fire Lord was not completely detached from the world like the Air Nomads seemed to be, he was far less concerned with power, strength and the material side of life. He cared about things like love and emotions, things that she had been taught to shun; she thought her uncle was foolish for having such thoughts, but she knew he couldn't be completely wrong. He'd conquered Ba Sing Se, after all; he was the greatest military leader in Fire Nation history, yet, he seemed so uninvolved with things that it just made no sense how he could have achieved it. She considered perhaps, that he might have been driven by a love for his country, which she could understand; the commoners were drawn to join the military for that very reason- they wanted to participate in their great project, to spread the prosperity and greatness of the Fire Nation. However, she had a hard time believing her uncle held such a view; it was too simple, too ignorant of the reality that their country faced.</p><p>Azula knew that she had to be attached to reality; power, strength, intelligence, wisdom, all of those things came from understanding reality and using that understanding to her advantage. But the thought could not simply leave her head; she couldn't comprehend why the Air Nomads believed what they did, and why they just disappeared. They could have resisted, they could have fled, but they perished; she could not stand for such kind of inaction, yet, she was drawn by the allure of it.</p><p>"Negative jing." she remembered what it was called, Lo and Li having discussed the matter of the three primary jings a while back when teaching her bending theory, "They were drawn by that. But that's not the way a Fire Lord should run a country." she concluded, before furrowing a brow, realising that her uncle didn't prescribe to negative jing, but instead, neutral jing- he was waiting to act.</p><p>"What are you going to do, Uncle?" she asked herself, knowing that she didn't have an answer, and perhaps wouldn't have one for some time; she then rose up to her feet, before rolling the scroll up and sliding it into her belt; from her thoughts, she could only make one conclusion, concerning her own intentions- she had come to find the Avatar, but there was something else she needed to do, if she was to become a great Fire Lord one day.</p><p>"I need to understand." she mumbled under her breath, "I need to understand everything."</p><hr/><p>Striding down a dimly lit hallway in the palace, Prince Zuko let himself smile; he didn't like to smile and be happy in public, knowing that he wanted to give an image that his father, Prince Ozai, would respect, but at that very moment, he couldn't care less. When his uncle told him he would be coming to their next war meeting, and his father had signed off on it, he couldn't help but be in a good mood; he was finally going to get the respect he deserved, and he could show his uncle that he was capable of making the decisions he'd expect of a Fire Lord. Not to mention he'd be able to rub it in his father's face without a chance of a reaction; though he might have been able to and more than willing to chide his son in private, he wouldn't dare do it in front of his brother, who was the Fire Lord, and the undisputed head of the Royal Family. Though his uncle had tended to non-intervention when it came to Ozai's behaviour, which had frustrated Zuko in the past, knowing for sure that his uncle could have done something, his new position as Fire Lord meant there was no chance his father could get away with the kinds of things he'd been doing.</p><p>His father had been forcing the young Prince and his sister to train at daybreak to improve their firebending, making them show their forms to him and repeat them until they were perfect; none of that would have to continue if Zuko could prove his worth in an area outside of his firebending, which he was certain he had. Of course, Ozai probably wasn't approving of some of the things he was skilled at, which would be more useful and expected of a thief or assassin than a future monarch; that didn't mean, however, that Zuko wouldn't use those skills to his advantage. He knew he might need to sneak around a little more often, especially given his father's clear intention to become the Fire Lord a little quicker than in twenty years' time.</p><p>As Zuko approached the doors of the throne room, he took note of the two Imperial Firbenders who were standing by them as a few last military officials walked inside; the Prince simply raised his hand, and they stepped out of his way. He knew they might have done otherwise if Iroh hadn't persuaded his father to let him join them. He straightened the smile that he had held between his cheeks, knowing that it would not be a good look; he needed to be calm and serious if he were to earn the respect of those inside. As he strode down toward the large map that sat in the middle of the room, lined with seats upon which the highest ranking military officers in the Fire Nation sat. He knew that most of the men present weren't the most important military figures, given most of them were off in the Earth Kingdom, dealing with the occupation or rebel groups, or at sea, defending their interests from pirates and the threat of the Water Tribes. He saw his father sitting by the head of the table, and decided it would be best for him to sit beside him, seeing that they were both members of the Royal Family, second in authority to the Fire Lord himself, who sat on his throne, the flames of which had been weakened to allow Iroh's face to be clearly seen. His uncle raised his chin up, acknowledging Zuko's entrance with a small smile, though the Prince didn't dare respond, knowing that his father was watching; he sat himself down beside Ozai, who eyed him for a moment, not saying a word as he turned his attention back toward his brother.</p><p>"I believe that is everyone." Iroh acknowledged, before gesturing toward the table, "Which of you has the report from Omashu?"</p><p>One of the generals, an older man with a long goatee and moustache, with thin sideburns lining his cheeks, rose up to his feet, "I do, your majesty."</p><p>"Go ahead, General Bujing." the Fire Lord raised his hand up, the general clearing his throat before he turned to pick up the pointer stick, gesturing it toward the part of the map where Zuko assumed Omashu was located.</p><p>"The city is surrounded by our forces, and has been for the past three months." he explained, "But we still have the problem that many earthbender rebels are in the countryside around it, resisting our rule. Because they melt into the countryside, our soldiers have had issues with crushing them."</p><p>"Do you have a suggestion to deal with that problem?" Ozai spoke up, his voice sounding calm and cool, rather than necessarily chiding the general.</p><p>"Yes, my Prince." the General nodded, "The rebels are moving around regularly, and must be communication. I believe that they may attempt to attack the core of our forces in a combined assault." he explained his theory, before smirking, "But I believe there's an easier tactic than just waiting and fighting them on even ground." he argued, Zuko's father raising a finger to his goatee, and stroked it with an interested look on his face, suggesting for him to continue.</p><p>"If we were to send a division forward, preferably one that is eager and ready, to attack one of the surrounding villages under rebel control, they would win, but draw the attention of the rebels; when they move to destroy that division, they might succeed, but we will attack them from all sides and crush the rebels where they stand." the General gave his plan, earning himself a few nods from the men present.</p><p>Zuko, however, didn't agree with it; his plan was a clear waste of troops when they could instead remain steadfast. The Earth Kingdom was known for being resolute and persevering; if their forces did the very same, with their superior numbers and arms, victory was certain.</p><p>"A distraction." the elder Prince acknowledged with a pleased voice, "Brother, I believe that would be an effective plan. Don't you agree?" he turned to Iroh, who was looking back at him with a calm expression, though he clearly wasn't happy, thus not approving of Bujing's plan.</p><p>The Fire Lord sighed, and looked like he was about to disagree with him; deciding that to be the opportune time to make his mark, Zuko cleared his throat, Ozai and Bujing both looking at him with confusion.</p><p>"Did you have your own recommendation, Prince Zuko?" his uncle asked him, the Prince turning to eye his father, pursing his lips ever so slightly upward; the look of annoyance that immediately appeared on his father's face was priceless.</p><p>"Yes, Uncle, I do." he admitted, not even getting to stand up, just looking toward the General, "Your plan may work, I acknowledge that, General, but it is a clear waste of lives." he admitted honestly, the General looking at him with slight confusion, his eyes momentarily darting toward the Prince's father before he continued, "Those troops could be better used to track down and deal with each rebel group individually; if we were to lose a whole division, that would be so many men that could not help with the occupation and deal with rebellions elsewhere."</p><p>"My nephew is correct." Iroh spoke up, making the Prince smirk, assured that he was right, and that by extension, his father was wrong, "That would be a needless waste of lives. We have complete control over the countryside surrounding the city. It is not as if we need to use our men in such a manner; the Earth Kingdom cannot win this fight, only lose a little slower than they might have otherwise."</p><p>"I apologise, your majesty." Bujing bowed toward the Fire Lord, who seemed indifferent to his words, watching as he dropped back down to his seat.</p><p>"Brother, did you have any suggestions?" he asked Ozai, who raised his chin up, trying to hold back his annoyance; his right eye glanced toward his son, obviously trying to hold back his fury toward Zuko.</p><p>"No, Brother, I did not."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Things We Won't Mention</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Princess Azula would have been sound asleep, but the sudden thumping she heard on the ground just outside of her room woke her from her near slumber; she growled, frustrated that something had woken her, though she raised her head up from the pillow, curious where the sound had come from. She could hear unmistakably what had to be footsteps, making her furrow a brow; she was sure it wasn't an assassin, given that if they were any good, they wouldn't have been so loud.</em>
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  <em>She decided to pull herself up from her bed, and eyed her doorway, which was slightly ajar, the light of the full moon shining in dimly through the windows of the hallway; she wondered if it was a servant, though she immediately deduced that was unlikely, given that a servant had no reason to be up that late outside. It being a palace guard was another possibility, but then again, they tended to stay away from the personal quarters of the Royal Family, simply guarding the exterior. Making her way toward the doorway, she leaned her head out, and heard more footsteps, this time from the hallway; she narrowed her eyes to the right, taking note of a silhouette figure that was standing by the end of the hallway. She felt a shiver down her spine, unsure what to say or do, so Azula simply shrunk back behind the door, just waiting for the figure to do something.</em>
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  <em>She waited there, her hand on the door as she kept her eyes on the silhouette slowly moving toward her; since they weren't near any windows, she couldn't get a good look on them. When they got close enough, the moonlight shined on through, and she could finally distinguish something; they were wearing what she knew to be a theatre mask, and remembered she'd seen one very similar to it in her father's room once before. She thought for a moment that it was perhaps her father, but she realised that the figure was far too short to be him; it was Zuko, she deduced, and watched as he slowly strode down the hallway, trying to keep his footsteps silent.</em>
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  <em>Once he walked past her door, she leaned her head out, and cleared her throat; that immediately caught his attention, and Zuko swiftly spun around and took a firebending form, though no flames came out of his palms. His form faltered once he realised it was her, and he remained there, silent, as if he were waiting for her to just do something. She stepped out into the hallway, and gestured toward his face, confused as to why he was wearing a mask; there was no need for him to do that, though she guessed it would have something to do with him sneaking around.</em>
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  <em>"What's with the mask, Zuzu?" she narrowed her eyes at him, her brother making a sigh before he took the mask off, revealing his face; his expression looked tired, though the emotion she could clearly see was frustration- he hadn't expected to get caught, it seemed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's none of your business, Azula." he growled, before he stepped back, "Why do you care?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't." she admitted honestly, "I'm just intrigued why a Prince of the Fire Nation is strutting around at night wearing a mask."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because I like to do things outside of this stupid palace." he simply told her, gesturing to the hallway they were in, "You better not say anything."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not going to, Zuzu." she assured him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn't care for starting a fight with her brother, knowing that his ire, though simply annoying, was something she'd prefer to avoid; she did not fear her brother, as per say, but she was certain that the more he mistrusted and disdained her, the harder it would be to deal with him. Azula always thought in advance, and her brother didn't seem like he was going to disappear off the face of the earth anytime soon, despite what his disguise suggested.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She furrowed a brow, making a guess as to why he would have left the palace and only come back after dark, "Were you with Mai?" she asked, the Prince turning around, taking a deep breath out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he simply confirmed, "Will that make you stay quiet?" he asked her with a slight snarl, the Princess placing her left hand on her hip as she raised her right to her chin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I just hope you know what you're doing, Brother." she warned him, "I'm sure that Father wouldn't approve of you going out like that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He doesn't have to know," he retorted, before narrowing his eyes at her, "and he won't," he stressed, "because I know you probably do things like this too."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She snickered at his suggestion, which was somewhat accurate; though she did sneak around, she mostly did so inside of the palace and not out of it. Her sneaking was probably a lot more treasonous than his own, if one considered eavesdropping on private meetings between officials and the Fire Lord, or officials and her father as treason.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, something of the likes." she vaguely worded herself, before waving a hand toward him, "Sleep well, Zuzu." she farewelled him, feeling as she had prodded him enough.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't call me that." he growled at her, before turning his heels.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She raised a finger, cleaning her throat, once again forcing him to turn around, just as he was about to open his bedroom door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What is it?" he sighed, obviously not wanting to continue their 'conversation', if she could even call it that- not much of substance had been discussed just yet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Where'd you get the mask from?" she asked her brother, whose eyes narrowed at her, before they turned down to the theatre mask he was holding in his hands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It was Mum's." he simply told her, before opening his door, quickly stepping inside; he didn't want to continue the discussion, or talk about their mother to her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She'd never met her mother, who had died giving birth to her; she had wondered from time to time what she was like, and guessed that Zuko remembered her, at least enough to have some kind of connection. She didn't really care, knowing that there was nothing that she could do about the issue, and even if she was curious about what her mother was like, her father had been mostly silent on the matter. Most of what she had known had come from either Lu Ten or her uncle, both of whom knew her well enough that she could trust their judgements; she was supposedly a kind woman, and her uncle stressed that she would have been a great mother, if she'd had the chance. She found it rather poignant that her life had been wasted as it had been; she had lived only to give birth to two children, after which she perished- that was not the kind of life the Princess sought for herself. Azula desired greatness, and she would strive to attain it through whatever means were available; fate was something that she could bend to her will, and if not, she would overcome it, if it really loomed over her like her father had once said.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Princess Azula didn't know where she was exactly, but she knew that the freezing wind and near endless sea suggested she was getting close to the North Pole; not that she intended to go to said place, given it was outside the rule of her nation, and thus, a challenge for her to enter. She knew there was a possibility that the Avatar had sought refuge there, but she didn't think that was very likely; the Northern Water Tribe had avoided participating in the war, purely by their own isolation and tall walls of ice. If they did have the Avatar in their domain, it seemed more likely that they would have done something- the last airbender was a weapon that any of the Fire Nation's enemies could have used against them, and that was something she was concerned might become a reality. Not that the Avatar had done anything of the likes in the past hundred years, though she assumed that was because they were in hiding; those hundred years of hiding would end soon enough, as soon as she found evidence of his movements, or even his actual location.</p><p>"I hate the cold." she growled, before turning her heels, deciding it would be better to go inside while she waited for her lunch to be prepared.</p><p>Her servants took her meals very seriously, and made sure to give her the best possible foods, both in quantity and quality; she did not want to overeat, because that would not help with her training. Being lean and fit was a necessity if one wanted to reach the maximum potential with their bending, something she was unsure if she had achieved yet. Her lightning generation wasn't as fast as she would like, and though she had learnt many, a number of advanced forms were not as easily understood as those she was taught before.</p><p>She decided that she ought to do something productive while she was waiting for her meal, so instead of heading down to her personal dining area, she began to walk down toward her room. The Princess strode down the staircase that led back down into the hull, and quickly made her way down the narrow hallway, walking past a few Imperial Firebenders, who all stopped to bow at her; she would have preferred if they'd just gotten out of her way, as she was forced to slow her pace as she made her way past. She found their deference frustrating when it physically impeded her aims, though she was sure they'd learn quickly enough to avoid her; she did not want to have them standing around, acting like they were necessary- they were tools in her quest, not protection she'd actually require against any potential threats. They wouldn't stand a chance against the Avatar if they found him, only she would, with her apt mind and reflexes; she was prepared to strike the master of the elements down at any moment, and even if her guards were skilled, they ultimately weren't going to stand much of a chance against somebody who could wield all four elements against them, including firebending.</p><p>The Princess quickly came to the rear of the ship, where her bedroom was located, and opened the ornate doors to glance inside; her bedroom had been cleaned since she was there last, and though she didn't complain about that, she realised it would be annoying, given her various scrolls and maps would have been put away. She strode inside and closed the doors behind her, glancing over into the bedroom, deciding that she'd go and look over the scrolls she had at hand; there were a number of scrolls that her grandfather had either owned or written himself, detailing information about the Avatar, their powers, and the culture of the Air Nomads from which the last known Avatar was to have originated. She pulled one of the drawers of the desk open, revealing the scrolls she had been looking for; the cleaner must have put them away, she deduced, though she didn't think much of that until she realised that one of the scrolls was missing. She had a scroll depicting airbending forms which she had taken from the Western Air Temple, and it had somehow disappeared; she wondered if she might have accidentally dropped it off the desk when she had been reading another scroll earlier that morning. Azula knelt over, glancing under the desk, and found that the scroll wasn't there.</p><p>"What..." she mumbled under her breath, "Where did it go?" she asked out, knowing that she didn't have an answer, not yet at least.</p><p>Raising a brow, she turned her eyes toward the door, wondering if the cleaner had been as forward to steal her scroll; the Princess glared toward it, knowing that the cleaner wasn't there, but that they were somewhere on her ship, with her scroll. It was the only thing she could conclude, given that they were the only person she was sure that had entered her room since she was in it last; Azula decided that she would go and retrieve her scroll, knowing that it was something she still needed to study and understand. It wasn't because of some kind of personal tie she felt to the object, but rather what it could teach her. She needed to understand the Air Nomads and airbending; if she could comprehend it with their point of view, or at least, come to understand that point of view, she would have the knowledge to defeat the Avatar. If she could predict his moves, his strategies and mindset, then she would have an irrefutable advantage over him.</p><p>Princess Azula thus turned back to the door, opened it up and glanced down the hallway; she didn't know who had cleaned her room, though she was certain that the head servant, a man by the name of Kang, would know their identity, and allow her to get to the bottom of the problem. She strode back downt he hallway, knowing that the head servant would be attending to matters in his office, which was a small room adjunct to the storage hold that contained all the things the servants required to attend to Azula's needs, in terms of her hygiene, diet, clothing and bedding. It was located deep in the hull, along with the other storage holds, in which their arms, mechanical traps, a tank-train, used for transportation across land, when need be, and their steeds, a group of komodo rhinos and group of mongoose lizards, were housed. She didn't know if she'd have to use all of those things, though she appreciated the foresight in having them with her; if she needed to use all of those means to capture the Avatar, she would be sure to thank her Uncle Iroh for providing her with them.</p><p>Making her way down the staircase, deeper into the hull, she walked by a number of servants, unsure who, if any of them, were the servant who cleaned her room and stole her scroll. Her glare intimidated them, and they stayed well out of her way as she approached the room where she knew Kang would be working away, ensuring that the servants were following all the required schedules to ensure that Azula's every need was attended to. She didn't bother knocking on the door, pushing it wide open, surprising a servant who must have been retrieving something for her lunch, given he was wearing an apron and carrying some boxes.</p><p>He bowed toward her, "Apologies, your highness." he apologised, the Princess placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him out of the way.</p><p>"Get back to your job and stop bowing." she growled, the servant complying without another word, rushing out of the door with his boxes in hand; turning her gaze back into the room, she eyed Kang's office, which only had a curtain between it and the actual storage area of the room.</p><p>She strode up toward the curtain, pushed it out of the way, and cleared her throat to get the head servant's attention; his eyes widened as he looked up at her, "Oh, your highness. I apologise, I should have heard the door opening." he cringed slightly, knowing that being punctual and aware was one thing she desired most out of her attendants.</p><p>"I need to know who was cleaning my bedroom this morning." she asked him with a cold tone, not having any time for idle chit-chat, "Somebody has taken something that doesn't belong to them."</p><p>His eyes shimmered with fear, and he simply nodded at her, confirming that he understood her order; he turned around, pulling out a scroll from a shelf, before unfurling it, his eyes scanning down it quickly.</p><p>"Ning." he spoke the name of the person she was looking for, "A servant, specialising in cleaning and first-aid. Age twenty-four." he listed off some facts about that servant which he must have known off of the top of his head, "I know this girl. I'm concerned why she would steal anything of yours."</p><p>"Because people are nosy." she narrowed her eyes at him, before snickering, finding another amusing possibility, "Or perhaps, in need of intellectual stimulation. I certainly am." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, though she realised she probably shouldn't mention any of her personal feelings around her servants; she did not want them becoming comfortable in her presence- comfort would only lead to complacency, "Where is she now?"</p><p>"I believe she went to clean your personal spa, your highness." he acknowledged, before picking up another scroll and unfurling it, "Yes, she's cleaning the spa as we speak."</p><p>She did not thank him, and simply turned to head out the door, but she decided, given the situation there was one question she needed to ask of him, "Do you know how I deal with nosy servants, Kang?"</p><p>"I believe expelling them from your service was what you told me." he told her with as calm a voice he could muster; Azula smirked, acknowledging that his knowledge was indeed correct.</p><p>"Precisely." she confirmed, before she continued out of the room, knowing she had to get to the spa.</p><p>When servants had been nosy or simply too interested in her day-to-day affairs back in the palace, she had them expelled or, at the very least, asked her father to have them moved somewhere else. She was far too concerned with the threat of spies or agents of the enemy, that being anyone that was not loyal to her or her nation, potentially gaining intelligence on her; some might have called it paranoia, but she knew of all people, members of the Fire Nation Royal Family needed to consider such threats. Even if they weren't spies themselves, the potential information that could be bought from those servants was something she knew to be a danger in and of itself.</p><p>Making her way back to the staircase, she walked up it to the next floor, glancing around the hallway, noting that there were a few sailors walking by, though they stopped talking as soon as she came into their field of view. She guessed that nobody wanted to talk in her presence; of course, she didn't want to listen to teir stupid conversations, so she had no issue with that. Azula turned her heels, making her way down the hallway toward the rear of the ship, where the spa was located; it used the heat of the nearby engine to warm up the room, as well as allowing easy access to hot towels and warm water for washing without the use of firebending. She personally thought that a firebender masseuse would be far superior to a non-bending one, but just like letting her servants gain intelligence, allowing attendants with firebending near her while she would be vulnerable was stupidly dangerous. It was far better to rely on non-benders, who were practically a non-threat to her as long as she was awake. When she reached the spa room, she noted by touching the metal door that it was cold, which made sense, given that it was being cleaned, rather than being used; she was the only she knew that used the spa, though she was sure that Lo and Li might enjoy the service, if they found it to their fancy.</p><p>Opening the door, the cleaner she was looking for glanced right up at her, and looked at her with an understandably concerned face as the Princess strode toward her, "Princess Azula, was there something you wanted?" she asked her, stepping back, presumably out of fear.</p><p>"Yes. You're Ning, correct?" she asked her, the servant girl's eyes darting around with fear before she nodded.</p><p>"I am." she confirmed, "Did- did I do something wrong?"</p><p>"Did you really think you'd get away with it?" she scoffed, amused by her feigning of innocence.</p><p>She bowed her head down, "My humble apologies, your highness." she told her with a calm voice, before her eyes darted up, more confused than afraid, "But, Princess, I don't know what you're talking about."</p><p>She placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head with disappointment, "Come clean. You stole my airbending scroll." she told her, the cold glare she gave making the girl drop to her knees.</p><p>"Please. I didn't do anything of the likes, there has to be some kind of mistake." she pleaded with her, raising her hands up to show her submission, "I filed that scroll away with the rest of them. M-maybe I didn't put it in the right spot." she admitted, before her eyes darted up toward her, "Please... I don't know how it could have disappeared."</p><p>"I am unconvinced, Ning." she chided her, sparking a flame in her fingers, "Why would want an airbending scroll? Did you think you would sell it when we reached port?" she asked her, the servant girl covering her face with her hands, as if she was about to cry, "What, now are you going to cry about it? That won't convince me."</p><p>"I- I didn't take that scroll." she assured her, "I just cleaned your room, your highness. M-m-maybe somebody else did it." she dared to suggest, making her roll her eyes; trying to deflect the blame away from herself was an amateur move- she obviously hadn't expected this.</p><p>"Oh, and who could have done that?" she asked her, only a little curious for what the servant could tell her; she had to be observing what was going on before and after she cleaned the room.</p><p>"I..." she mumbled, before her eyes turned up to meet her own, coloured pink from the tears that had come out; her expression shifted to one more that was more serious, "One of the twins came to your room after I cleaned it." she told her, mustering as confident a tone as she could, "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but she went inside."</p><p>"Did you see how long she was there?" she asked her, wanting to play with her for a little bit before she decided to give her the punishment she deserved.</p><p>"I didn't." she shook her head, before dropping her hands to the ground, opting to beg, "Please, please don't kill me."</p><p>"I won't." she assured her, knowing that was a bit of an overreaction for what Ning might have done, though from what she was saying, it seemed like she had not, "I will investigate what you just told me. If it turns out you are lying, then I will not relent to have you thrown off this ship. You will not be allowed to return to the homeland. I'm sure you understand."</p><p>"I- I do." she nodded with a fearful face, the Princess turning her heels, deciding the cleaner's interrogation was over; if it turned out she was lying, then she would be thrown off the ship- as annoying as stealing her scroll was, she knew that wasn't something she was going to punish with violence, given she could just retrieve the scroll from wherever she put it.</p><p>Making her way out of the spa, she closed the door behind her, and glanced around, noting that some of her Imperial Firebenders had been listening to the interrogation from afar; she eyed them, and they immediately turned their heels- everyone was too damn nosy for her liking. She made her way down the hallway, heading back to the staircase, remembering that her tutors would be having their lunch; she knew she ought to go to her own, but it could wait until after she got to the bottom of the case of her missing scroll. She strode up the staircase, and made her way straight to the dining area where they'd be eating; they too had their personal dining area, which was meant to be for any ranking officers on such a vessel, but seeing that she only had her guards, some servants and some sailors to tend to the vessel itself, the only people using it were her firebending tutors.</p><p>When she approached the door, she saw a servant walking by, who looked at her with surprise, "Oh, your highness." she bowed to her, before she made a conciliatory smile, "Your lunch is ready in your dining room." she explained to Azula, who sighed, not feeling overly concerned about that while she had other matters to deal with.</p><p>"I'll attend to eating lunch as soon as I speak with my tutors." she clarified, before raising her hand, gesturing for the servant to leave, which she did.</p><p>She stepped toward the door, and pulled on the handle, before she threw it open; Lo and Li, who were eating the entree course to their meal, some kind of soup, looked up to her immediately, surprise on their faces.</p><p>"Princess Azula." they both addressed her, "What did you desire of us?"</p><p>"Which of you went to my bedroom earlier this morning." she narrowed her eyes at them, the two sisters looking at each other with surprise, before Lo spoke up.</p><p>"I did." she clarified, "Was there something wrong with that?" she asked, the Princess scoffing.</p><p>"You went into my room without my knowledge. Without even mentioning anything about it before this very moment. I had to interrogate a servant girl to learn that." she clarified, placing her hands down on the table before the twins, "Why did you go there?"</p><p>"To..." she began, before turning to face Li, "Should we tell her?"</p><p>"There's no point trying to lie now." her sister admitted, before she turned to face Azula, "I apologise, your highness, but we have had direct orders from your father, Prince Ozai, to oversee your training. That includes any supplementary readings." she explained, making the Princess snarl, now knowing that Ning wasn't lying to save her behind; she refrained hammering her fist into the table, knowing that losing her cool would not be the wise thing, and instead crossed her arms, glaring them both down.</p><p>"So you stole the airbending scroll." she concluded, Lo shaking her head.</p><p>"I did not steal it. I was simply requisitioning banned materials." she clarified, making the Princess scoff.</p><p>"You're telling me that you took the scroll because my father doesn't want me reading it?" she asked them, the two sisters remaining silent for a few moments before they nodded.</p><p>"What did you do with the scroll?" she narrowed her eyes at them, "I would like it back."</p><p>"We burned it." Li clarified, making the Princess clench her fists; she was the one with power and authority on the ship, and they had just ignored it, like they owned the place- that infuriated her so much that she bent the flames in the candles that sat on the table, creating two mighty blue torches, the two elderly women cringing back from the heat.</p><p>"You miscalculated." she declared with a cold voice, unwilling to scream at them, no matter how much she wanted to, before the flames simmered down, "You will both leave this ship at the next port. I don't want to see your wrinkly old faces ever again."</p><p>"But your highness, we are only here to serve-" Lo began, before she hammered her fist down onto the table, finally letting that bit of her anger out.</p><p>"No you are not. You are liars and thieves." she snarled, "You destroyed that artefact because my father thought it was dangerous." she deduced their intentions, or more accurately, her father's, "Well, he was wrong to think that. I'm what is dangerous, not any stupid scrolls." she pointed to her chest, "I will learn what I need to to defeat the Avatar, and neither of you can stop me."</p><p>"We are greatly sorry for our actions, your highness." the two sisters bowed their heads in shame, Azula raising her hand up as she turned her heels.</p><p>"I am not getting up for your training either. I will have my Imperial Firebenders train with me, seeing that they can actually bend." she declared, having had enough of their stupid exercises anyway, before she had learned of their treachery.</p><p>She did not need to perfect every form to beat the Avatar; she needed to be smarter than him, something that she was sure was far more important than putting her feet and hands in specific positions in some sequences that she wouldn't even use in battle.</p><p>"If you do not have perfect control of your element, you will never succeed." the tutors both dared to speak up, making her scoff; she would not listen to their words anymore; she knew that they had no more useful wisdom, only platitudes and mindless demands that came straight from her father- they were simply his tools, and they could be dispensed with.</p><p>"You are both so full of words yet your ears fall deaf. I am the most powerful firebender alive; what I need is knowledge, and you stole that from me." she turned her heels around, deciding she had one more thing to tell them.</p><p>"I have no need for your senile proverbs and worthless ideals."</p><hr/><p>Prince Zuko knew that his father wouldn't leave the Royal Palace without reason, so he decided that it would be wise to follow him; of course, he didn't dare do so plain-clothed and in the open, knowing that his father would see him, and that would lead to a scenario the Prince wanted more than anything to avoid. His father was a cruel and unforgiving man, and if he had known that his son was tailing him, he might have found some way to punish him, perhaps in a way his son could not predict. So instead of walking down the street after him, he dressed in full-black, and put on his theatre mask; he wasn't the Dark Water Spirit, but rather just a boy in a mask, though if anyone saw him, they might actually believe he was some kind of evil spirit.</p><p>First taking a tunnel out of the Royal Palace, he made his way out into the caldera city, where it was rather easy to spot his father's palanquin; given that he wanted to remain unnoticed, he opted for climbing up onto the roof of a building, and making his way along, jumping between the gaps with ease. His acrobatics skills were a well kept secret, and he had had a lot of practice sneaking over to Mai's house; he had thought about going to see her that afternoon, but given the importance of understanding his father's intentions, he decided following after him was more important. He kept himself low, pacing along the bends, falls and rises of the rooftops, trying his best to remain out of sight from the main street, down which Ozai's palanquin was travelling.</p><p>When the palanquin turned at a side-street, he raised a brow, wondering where exactly he would be going; he thought perhaps his father might have wanted to go down to the port district, given that was where the shadier elements of the city were located. Not that he thought his father was doing anything criminal, at least not yet, but he knew that his father's respect for law and authority was rather weak; it was a tool, like everything was to him, and using criminals to achieve his aims was something Zuko knew he would be capable of. He was forced down to street level, given that he couldn't jump across the main street; the Prince realised that he would need to cross it somehow, and crouching in an alleyway, he glanced around for something that might be of use; he noted a cart, full of luxury goods, being driven along down the street in front of him.</p><p>Zuko cringed, realising that the best way across was underneath such a cart, and lunged forward, rolling underneath it; he might have been visible by pedestrians for a few moments, but it was unlikely they would have taken notice of him, just a random dark blur- a trick of their eyes. He then grasped onto the cart's underside before it moved past, hoisting himself up; he wrapped his legs around a beam, and waited patiently for the cart to continue along, moving across the main street, directly after his father's palanquin.</p><p>Once it had gotten past the open space of the main street, the cart itself turned to the left, and Zuko dropped down, immediately racing toward the cover of an alleyway once the cart had moved out of the way. He could heard the sound of the palanquin bearers footsteps, and decided to continue down the alleyway, which ran parallel to the route the palanquin had been taking; he listened out for any changes, walking all the way to the end of the alleyway, where he was forced to come to a halt, now at a street again.</p><p>He decided to scale the closest wall, stepping up on a windowsill to push himself up onto the roof; moving up to the crest of the roof, he eyed the palanquin, and noted that it was moving around the corner, which confused him; it was as if it were circling around the block. His eyes darted down the street the palanquin had taken, and he noted a tall figure wearing a red cloak that fell down to his feet; he smirked, figuring out quickly enough that it had to be his father- the robe had gold trimmings and by the arms, he could see the distinctive sleeves of the robes that all members of the Royal Family wore. He noted that Ozai was walking down another alleyway, one running away from the street; he raised a brow, curious as to where he would be going.</p><p>Zuko turned his heels momentarily, getting some space between him and the edge of the roof, before he charged forward, jumping across to the roof opposite. The clunking sound his feet made as they hit the roof tiles made the Prince cringe, realising that his father might have heard them. He followed on after his father, almost crawling as he moved his way silently across the roof, parallel to his father in the alleyway below. He noted that Ozai had stopped, and glanced up and down the alleyway before knocking on a door; except he wasn't actually knocking on the door, he was somehow using his firebending to open a mechanism. There were a few sounds of parts moving, before the door itself slid open, revealing an entrance. Zuko knew he couldn't follow his father inside, given that the door itself was loud enough that even if he could replicate the bending move, he would be found immediately. Instead, he decided to leap across to the building itself and look for another way inside.</p><p>He tensed his legs as he looked over to the building across from him, noting that its roof was higher than the one he was standing on; there was a decent indentation on the windowsill, however, so he decided to take the chance with jumping over to that. Zuko charged forward, leaping up onto the window sill, which creaked as it held his weight up. His eyes brightened as he realised that the window he was in front of was inside the same building that his father had entered, thus, could provide him access to whatever the elder Prince was doing.</p><p>He grasped his dagger, which he kept tied around his lower back, and drew it out of its sheath; he jammed the small weapon into the bottom of the window, moving it around to try and feel for the mechanism that would have locked the window closed. With enough slow movements, he found the spot, and pushed his dagger in, unlocking the mechanism. The Prince then slowly reached down to pull the window open, revealing the room inside. It was a lounge area, with a few seats and a table in the middle, where he could expect somebody to eat a meal and drink tea. What he saw suggested that he was inside some kind of house, though he guessed it wasn't his father's; they all lived in the palace, after all.</p><p>Zuko slowly began to pace through the room, reaching the door, which luckily lacked any kind of lock; he then pushed it open, glancing down the hallway, which seemed to be empty. He was sure the house wasn't, as he could hear his father's voice, as well that of some other men, downstairs. He paced down the hallway, trying to move slowly enough to ensure that he didn't accidentally make the floor creak, which would give away his presence. When he reached the end of the hallway, he noted that there was an atrium, given the sunlight coming down into the room; he glanced down, realising that his father was right there, sitting with a number of men around a table. He recognised some of them, having been in the war meeting they'd had a week or so prior; the Prince smirked realising what he'd just got himself into. He pulled his mask up and off, so he could uncover his ears and get a better listen in on what they were saying; he leaned by the corner of the wall, ensuring that they couldn't see him.</p><p>"Your highness." he heard one of the men address his father, "What you're saying is... well, it's near treason."</p><p>"It won't be treason if I'm the Fire Lord." Ozai spoke up, his voice cold and commanding, "You all know why this must be done. The lesser nations grow more eager with each passing day. My brother has refused to move our armies on the rebels and the savages at the North Pole; our strength is being squandered with each passing day."</p><p>"What will you have us do, your highness?" another of the men asked his father, who almost laughed, or at least, tried to stop himself from doing so.</p><p>"You will serve your Fire Lord, until he is no longer your Fire Lord, after which, I want you all to follow my explicit commands. These commands must be followed through at once, before anyone has a chance to react. We can not give the detractors of our nation any opportunities." he explained, the men all making affirmative sounds.</p><p>"Your highness, the burning of these cities, how do you expect us to achieve it?"</p><p>"I have spoken with War Minister Qin on these matters. There are machines in the works, and they will allow us to send down fury from the skies." he explained with a cocky tone, "We will destroy all those that stand in the path of our nation, with a weapon that none of them will expect."</p><p>"From the skies?" one of them spoke with a voice of awe, "Like the dragons?"</p><p>"Oh, far better than a dragon. A dragon only has one head. With a machine like this, you can have dozens of men sending out their power, not to mention the use of explosives." he explained, letting out a laugh, "I am sure you understand I have thought this plan well and truly through."</p><p>"And what of Sozin's Comet. It will be here in a matter of months." one of the men acknowledged, "Will you harness its power?"</p><p>"That is the wrong question." he scoffed, Zuko shivering at the thought of what it might be used for; his father's words spoke of burning cities from the sky, destroying the other nations- that wasn't anything like the prosperity their national oath spoke of, "It is how we can best use it to destroy our enemies. The Air Temples were a cheap target; there is something far more systematic that I believe to be in order."</p><p>The Prince's eyes widened, realising what his father was saying; Zuko had always wanted to serve his country, but what his father was suggesting was insane. He knew his father had always had dreams and aspirations of his future, but the kind of things he was talking about, they were nightmares, not dreams. The Prince could only mutter one thing, unable to think of any other question.</p><p>"Why?"</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Deliberations</h2></a>
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  <em>Glancing into his cousin's bedroom, Lu Ten wondered if Zuko was feeling alright; he hadn't seen him since their family lunch, where the young prince had been grilled by his father for not recalling a specific historical fact correctly. It seemed a little overkill, given that his cousin was only ten years old. The Prince's head rose up from his pillow, and turned around, showing his face to his cousin; he didn't seem to be in a very good mood, though his expression brightened when he realised it was Lu Ten at his door.</em>
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  <em>"Cousin, what are you doing here?" he asked the elder prince, who stepped inside the room, offering him a warm smile.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, I thought you could use some company." he clarified, "Did you want to play together or something?"</em>
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  <em>"Play?" Zuko raised a brow, "Cousin, you're nearly an adult." he stated a rather obvious fact.</em>
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  <em>He might have been a lot older than him, but that didn't mean he couldn't spare the time to play with him, or his sister; Azula was doing firebending training at that very moment so he decided to check on his elder cousin first.</em>
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  <em>"Doesn't mean I don't have time for fun with my little cousin." he smirked at him before gesturing out the door, "Come on, it's better to do that than be holed up in this room for the rest of the day."</em>
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  <em>Zuko's expression shifted somewhat, showing that he was amenable to the idea; he got up from his bed, and glanced around, "What did you want to do, Cousin?"</em>
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  <em>"I don't know. What's fun for you?"</em>
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  <em>"Games that involve running. Or jumping. Or climbing. Do you get what I mean?" he asked him, sounding a little nervous; the Prince smirked at his young cousin, thinking he had a good idea.</em>
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  <em>"Running, you say?" he asked him rhetorically, before gesturing toward the door, "Come on, follow me. I've got an idea that might fit with that."</em>
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  <em>Zuko paced up behind him and followed him out into the hallway, "What was your idea?"</em>
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  <em>"I was thinking... tag." he clarified, his cousin scrunching his lips up.</em>
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  <em>"But where are we going to play, we're in the palace. I don't think we're allowed to run around."</em>
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  <em>"Well, you aren't allowed to run around, but that's not a problem if nobody sees you running." he suggested, the young prince's eyes widened with surprise.</em>
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  <em>"That's... a good idea." his expression shifted to a grin, "Who's it?"</em>
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  <em>Lu Ten tapped his cousin on the shoulder, before he darted down the hallway, "You!" he shouted out, before pushing the door open and heading into the living room of his Uncle's part of the palace.</em>
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  <em>He quickly made his way over to another door, pushed it open and stepped out, his eyes momentarily glancing backward to see his cousin charging on after him; he was quite fast on his feet, and though the elder of the two had longer legs, the other boy made up for his stature with agility. The elder prince made his way through the doorway, which led him out into the halls of the palace proper; he made his way down the hall, forcing his pace to slow as he saw some guards walking by, who nodded at him; he eyed back to see his cousin, who like him had slowed his pace, but was still heading right toward him. He darted down another corner, hoping that he could trick his cousin into going the wrong way; the hall was lined with rooms, some of which were used for meetings, while others were tea-rooms or places for staff to take a break. He decided to open and close one of the doors, doing so audibly, before he opened up one of the meeting rooms, knowing that Zuko would be drawn to the sound of the other door. He then moved through the room, which was luckily empty at that time, and made his way toward another door on the opposite side of the room, to exit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He won't get me now." he mumbled, feeling rather proud of his trickery.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He then moved down the smaller hallway he had found himself in, heading to his left, which would lead him further away from where he last saw his cousin; when he reached the intersection of the hallway with another, he realised his trick hadn't worked, as his cousin was standing right there waiting for him. Lu Ten almost yelped, and turned his heels, knowing that his cousin's speed would mean he'd catch up before he could find another diverging route to take.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've got you!" Zuko exclaimed, leaping forward to jab his cousin in the back, which then signified that he was now 'it'; he sighed with frustration, and turned around to see the young prince running the other way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He rolled his eyes, and made his way after his cousin, seeing him dart to the right, after which Lu Ten followed; he eyed up the hallway, and saw the possible routes his cousin could take, and waited intently for him to do something, continuing after at as fast a pace he could muster. When the young prince opened a door and walked inside, he followed right after him, but he realised he might have a bit of trouble, as he realised that the room was one of the storage rooms, housing boxes of things like tea, rice and other basic things that were part of the daily needs of the Royal Family. He glanced up the first aisle he could see, and did not see or hear any evidence of Zuko; he sighed, and began to walk down to the left, making his way along the aisles to see where his cousin might have gone. He sighed with frustration as he moved from aisle to aisle, not finding him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko, we aren't playing hide and scream." he rolled his eyes, before he heard his cousin's voice behind him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, we're not." he agreed with him, Lu Ten's eyes darting around to realise Zuko was already at the doorway, and was running right back out of the room.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Aw, come on." he groaned with frustration, before following after his cousin; who continued to run on down the hallway, now having gained a decent advantage of distance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Making his way after the young prince, he saw him dart down another hallway, this time to their right, and the elder of the pair sighed, knowing that his cousin's agility wasn't something he could easily match up against. When he got around the corner, he was forced to stop running, as he saw his father standing with a number of high-ranking military officers, casually chatting in the hallway; his eyes immediately darted over to his son, and his lips pursed upward. He obviously knew where Zuko must have disappeared to, but it would be a bit rude for Lu Ten to walk up to him and ask just that, given that he was in the middle of talking to some people.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, this must be your son." one of the officers turned to face him, "Prince Lu Ten." he acknowledged him with a bow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is he at the academy at the moment?" another officer asked his father, who nodded, his smile telling him that he was proud of that fact.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Prince was on break from his studies there, and that was why he was home; usually he wouldn't be running around the halls of the palace after his cousin, but doing firebending sets or reading strategy manuals.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father." he addressed Iroh, who cleared his throat, stepping a little closer toward him as the Prince approached, "Do you know where my cousin is?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, she's training out in the courtyard just over there." he gestured behind him, Lu Ten trying to hold back rolling his eyes; he was referring to his other cousin, who he'd been chasing, not Azula.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father." he simply addressed him again, telling him to fess up without directly asking.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, okay, he went in there." he gestured to his right, into what the Prince thought to be one of his grandfather's studies, where the Fire Lord would read books and if need be, entertain guests to the palace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He glanced over toward the door, which was open, and stepped over, keeping his pace slow, not wanting to frighten his cousin if he was really hiding in there; he wanted to tap him and make him it, not make him run off to someplace else in the palace. He pushed the door open, and glanced inside, seeing that the room was devoid of any young princes, or evidence of his presence. Everything was in place, as he would expect it to be as if servants had cleaned it and nobody had come inside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What..." he mumbled, before he heard some quick footsteps off in the distance behind him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thanks, Uncleǃ" he heard his cousin call out, Lu Ten leaning out of the doorway and looking back at his father, who shrugged his shoulders making a sheepish grin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I feel so betrayed right now." he placed a hand on his chest, feigning offence, his uncle and the officers chuckling; Iroh gestured over in the direction Zuko had run, with a serious expression on his face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You ought to hurry, my son. He's going to get away." he warned him, the Prince immediately pacing off down the hallway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His father's trickery was amusing, and reminded him you didn't need to be young to have fun; he grimaced at the thought of the seriousness and spitefulness his uncle always portrayed, and knew that to have a father like that would be far less enticing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, at least my father's fun."</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Trust me, your highness, you do not want to go in there."</p><p>Azula raised a brow at the man who had been guiding her around the Northern Air Temple, the so-called Mechanist, who invented war-machines for the Fire Nation, despite being from the Earth Kingdom. She had been assured by War Minister Qin that he would be cooperative in her search for the Avatar, and with him, anything associated with his background. She needed to scour the Air Temples, and at the second one she had reached, she found herself walking amongst a bunch of Earth Kingdom refugees, who were understandably fearful of her and was confused as well as intrigued by what the inventor and his people had done with the place; they had ravished and desecrated the Northern Temple, after taking it up as their home. Though she could understand why they had done so, it frustrated her efforts in finding more Air Nomad artefacts to better prepare her for facing the Avatar, whenever she found him.</p><p>"And why wouldn't I want to go in there?" she gestured to the wooden doorway; he had been leading her around the temple, and the section they arrived in was at the very least untouched by him and his fellow colonists, somewhere where she might be able to find artefacts.</p><p>"Because it's filled with natural gas." he explained, "It'll explode if you go in there... because you won't be able to see, and you'll need to use your firebending."</p><p>She rolled her eyes, sighing, before gesturing toward the door once more, "Are there artefacts in there?" she simply asked him, the Mechanist raising one of his half-burnt eyebrows up in thought.</p><p>"Well, I couldn't see much in there." he acknowledged, "There might be, seeing that nobody's been in there."</p><p>"Do you have a collection of artefacts or something?" she asked him, guessing that he must have collated the things he didn't end up destroying.</p><p>"Uh... a few scrolls I used for my designs to create the gliders you saw." he clarified, the Princess raising a finger to her chin.</p><p>"Well, they may help." she conceded, "Is there anything else? I will need something of substance after coming all the way to this damn place." she gestured around the hallway, "The Air Nomads are dead, but I need to understand them, and you have made that more than a little harder with your 'renovations'."</p><p>"I apologise." he bowed down, though his voice sounded rather disingenuous.</p><p>"Oh, you apologise?" she scoffed, before turning to face her guards, "We're heading back up. I don't want to put our lives in danger trying to scour around that room." she decided, before narrowing her eyes at the Mechanist, "Show me these glider scrolls. That's the least you can do after you demolished everything I came here to see."</p><p>Striding back up the staircase, she was followed by the Imperial Firebenders who had accompanied her, keeping a stern eye on the Mechanist; she required his complete cooperation, so a little intimidation was required to achieve that. She knew that he was only making weapons for the Fire Nation because he had no other choice, so she knew that he or his people might still hide some things from her; things that could allow her to beat the Avatar, which would be another step on the Fire Nation's inevitable march to victory. As she made her way back out to a more open part of the temple, the colonists looked her way, obviously wary of her presence, and walked off in any direction they could to get away; she wanted to laugh at their fear, but she was currently too frustrated about the Mechanist and his destruction of the Air Temple to care about them. The Mechanist turned his heels and began pacing down the wide, open halls, and he turned back to gesture for her to follow.</p><p>"My office is this way, your highness." he explained, and Azula heeded his words, taking off after him; they made their way to a doorway, which he opened up, leading into a relatively small, cluttered room, though she was sure it would feel a lot larger without all the stuff inside.</p><p>She glanced about the room, noting all the schematics he had lying around; he had designed a number of the Fire Nation's foremost weapons, such as the tundra tank and the tank train that sat on her very ship, and she was sure there were more inventions to come out of the little room she found herself in.</p><p>He gestured over to a shelf where she could see a few tied up scrolls, their age suggesting that they were the ones he had been speaking of, "There they are, Princess. I warn, the scrolls weren't in the best condition, so I recommend to handle them with care."</p><p>She approached the shelf, and pulled out one of the scrolls, unfurling it; scanning its contents, she smirked, seeing that it showed how Air Nomads carved their glider staffs from tree branches; she guessed that the brilliant inventor had replicated their technique and used it to make more complex gliders, such as the one she had seen the Mechanist's son, Teo, using. It was a rather interesting contraption, but she wasn't that fussed about the idea of gliders; she needed to know how the Air Nomads lived, because that would allow her to understand her enemy.</p><p>She turned back to face him, "Do you have any more scrolls?"</p><p>The Mechanist shook his head, "I do not. Other colonists might have some in their personal possession, but when we first arrived... there was nearly none here. These are all I could recover." he explained, the Princess sighing; she knew there was a possibility he was lying, though there was no way she could be completely sure.</p><p>"Fine then." she snarled, turning to face her Imperial Firebenders, "I want you to gather all of the men, and search every single inhabited room in this temple, bottom to top. Ask politely, and if they don't give up any scrolls they have, search the rooms for them. Don't take anything else- that's all I need." she stressed, the guard nodding, understanding her command.</p><p>"Of course, your highness, your will is our command." he bowed toward her, before turning around to face his comrades, "You heard the Princess. From bottom to top."</p><p>She turned back to face the Mechanist, "You were not wise to do what you did. If your colonists get beaten by my men for resisting, that is on you." she snarled at him, "You should have never come here."</p><p>"I only did what I thought was right for my family." he assured her, the Princess shaking her head; desecrating an Air Temple and then serving the enemy's of his own nation wasn't something she could respect, even if his actions benefited the Fire Nation.</p><p>"You have no honour for your country, or any wit to speak of." she told him, turning around and placing her hands behind her back, "Your people were unwise to follow you."</p><p>"But... you're Fire Nation, I'm helping your country... even I don't want to." he explained himself, Azula rolling her eyes; she understood that clearly, and she despised it.</p><p>"Exactly, you moron." she gestured toward him, "Now, I won't bother taking these scrolls, given that they have nothing to do with airbending or the culture and philosophy of the people who once lived here." she clarified, "Your weakness, Mechanist, is the advantage of my country. We have brought the prosperity of our great nation over your own, and soon enough, the Northern Water Tribe will feel the liberty of our rule."</p><p>He looked at her with utter shock, trying to think of something to say, "Speechless, are you? Not that I want to listen to you, unless you want to tell me what else you're making for War Minister Qin."</p><p>"Liberty?" he mumbled, "What liberty?" he asked, his tone almost fearful; from any other person, she would have thought he was being snarky, but he truly lacked a spine, so he was simply perplexed by her claim.</p><p>She snickered, finding his question to be amusing, "Oh, have you not heard how sexist and degraded Water Tribe culture is? They aren't savages because they live in structures built of ice and hunt to survive, but because they're ignorant, stubborn sexists who refuse to understand the idea of progress. Those savages will bring doom to themselves, and we-" she gestured to her sternum, "we will bring liberty and prosperity."</p><p>"I can't do anything to stop you." he conceded, "Please, just don't harm my friends and family. We haven't done anything to wrong you and your people."</p><p>"Not yet." she argued, before turning her heels around, "Enjoy your peace while it lasts, Mechanist." she warned him, before exiting his workshop.</p><p>She glanced up and down the hallway, noting the pipes that ran up and down the hallways; the technology was intriguing, and showed her that even the unrefined Earth Kingdom could develop technologies, even though it really came from one man, while the Fire Nation was full of people like the Mechanist. They had engineers, designers, industrialists funding research; their prosperity had been both derived from technology and the fortunate circumstances of the home islands, which were bountiful in reserves of iron and coal. She wondered what might have become of the other nations if they had had that wealth to themselves; she smirked, realising they'd learn quickly enough, given that the Fire Nation harnessed control over most of the world, barring the poles. </p><p>The South Pole was impoverished and ignored by the Fire Nation, given their military threat had been neutralised by the Southern Raiders, but the North Pole was still a threat, though they hadn't attempted to fight the Fire Nation in any offensive campaigns, at least not yet. Their cowardice would be their doom, given that with the Earth Kingdom under their control, her nation could focus their military strength against them; she was sure they wouldn't last very long, given that her uncle was at the command of the Fire Nation's forces- even if he didn't have much taste for war anymore, he was the most successful military commander in Fire Nation history, having conquered the purportedly unconquerable Ba Sing Se.</p><p>She made her way down through the temple, noting the cautious eyes on her, and the Princess smirked; she was the one with the authority to decide the fate of the Northern Air Temple, if she so wished. She knew that being merciful was the most strategic decision, given that the Mechanist was still capable of providing them with the technologies they could wield against the Northern Water Tribe, if need be. Conquering their capital with a new weapon would be a fine way to end the war, in her opinion, given that it might lead to less casualties on either side, and an outright surrender on the behalf of their enemies, who could not resist their might. Even if she had yet found the knowledge to defeat the Avatar, she could rest easy knowing that the power to defeat those who continued to resist her nation lay comfortably in their hands; despite wanting to claim herself as such, the cowardice of the Mechanist would truly be the greatest weapon of her nation.</p><hr/><p>Mai wasn't surprised when Zuko showed up at her window wearing his brooding Dark Water Spirit mask and all black, though when he awkwardly asked her if she wanted to go to the Autumn Equinox Festival, she was a little surprised. He could have just called it a date and gotten that part over and done with, but no, the Fire Prince had to be about the most awkward person she knew. It was kind of endearing, but also annoying at times, given how it was hard for him to get his thoughts across; Mai on the other hand was quiet by choice, and would speak when she needed to.</p><p>She had put on her own mask, and dressed in her relatively tight black robes, which were a lot less flowing than the usually long burgundy ones she tended to wear otherwise. It was a bit closer to the kind of outfits Azula wore, when she thought about it, though the Princess wouldn't dare to wear something so drab- it was against everything she stood for. When she turned back to face Zuko, he made an awkward little smile, and gestured toward her window.</p><p>"Are you ready?" he asked her, Mai stepping forward to the windowsill, placing one foot on it before climbing out onto the roof; she didn't need to tell him she was ready, and with that, he followed right after her.</p><p>"Where are we going, exactly?" she asked him, the Prince gesturing along the rooftops toward the centre of the Caldera City; there were banners and paper torches rising up from that direction, dimly lighting the city as the sun neared the horizon.</p><p>"Just there. We can take the rooftops, so the crowds don't get in the way."</p><p>"I think you overestimate how well I can jump, Zuko." she narrowed her eyes at hs; even if he couldn't see her skeptical face, he understood her tone, and turned to face her.</p><p>"You're good at it, Mai. Maybe not as good as Ty Lee, but I don't think anybody's as good as Ty Lee." he conceded, before he paced off and jumped off of the roof of her house, leaping across the alleyway between her house and the one beside it.</p><p>He landed safely on the roof, and turned back to face her motioning his hand for her to follow, the noblewoman rolling her eyes; if she twisted her ankle, she'd break the Prince's nose. She took a deep breath before she ran off after him, jumping across the gap; she held her breath for the entire period, but once she landed safely on the other side, she let out the air from her lungs.</p><p>"See, that wasn't too bad." he assured her, before gesturing along the neighbouring rooftops, "Let's keep on it. We'll have to get down to ground level when we reach the festival itself, but nobody's going to question the masks, luckily for us."</p><p>"Because for some reason, somebody decided everyone should wear masks at festivals." she acknowledged.</p><p>The Fire Nation education system didn't explain the intricacies of their culture like that, and she didn't really care for it; it was a very good excuse for them to cover their faces and obscure their identities. If anybody from her school saw her walking with the Prince unmasked at a festival, then she'd be the talk of the place within a few days, something she certainly didn't want to have to endure. The pair continued to pace along the rooftops, jumping across between houses when necessary; she made sure to keep up her pace, knowing that if she slowed, there was a chance she'd miss the jump.</p><p>When they got closer to the main street, they were forced to begin jumping between buildings in another direction, which had the disadvantage of wider gaps between each rooftop, though they were able to solve that by jumping on the top of the brick fences that lay between houses, before scaling up onto the roofs once again. She found the whole exercise to be enjoyable, and even let out a little smile under her mask, knowing that nobody could see her. When they got to the area of the festival, they climbed down to the street via a drainage pipe, sliding down from each indentation in the pipe to ground level. She dusted herself off once she had both feet on the ground, and turned around, noting Zuko was already heading toward the crowd of the main street, Mai following after him.</p><p>When they reached the main street, he turned back to face her, gesturing along toward the stalls, "Did you want to get something to eat?"</p><p>She furrowed a brow, considering what she ought to get; fire flakes were the go to festival food, but she wasn't really fussed with what she ate; before she could think of a response, the Prince leaned a little closer, and spoke up once more.</p><p>"Did you want a fruit tart?" he asked her, "I'm sure we can buy one somewhere."</p><p>She pursed her lips upward, deciding that Zuko had a good judgement on that matter- she would like a fruit tart; Mai scrunched her lips up in thought, realising that he was going to pay for it, "Where'd you get the money?"</p><p>"Uh... I'd rather not say." he admitted, making her snicker; stealing was more than a little absurd when he was a Prince of the Fire Nation.</p><p>"You're not a thief, are you? You really shouldn't need to be."</p><p>"Well, I didn't steal it from somebody who needed it." he clarified, before he began to pace through the crowd, forcing her to follow on behind him.</p><p>The pair made their way through the crowd, forcing her to step around people as she tailed after Zuko, who was rather intent in his paces; he either was really concerned about her getting her fruit tart, or something else was on her mind. As much as she'd like to think it was the former, she was certain something had happened; things always seemed to be happening when it came to Zuko and his family, given what had been happening over the past two months. Iroh had become the Fire Lord, and from the sounds of it, Prince Ozai was up to something, and not anything good, at that; Azula on the other hand, was far away from the homeland, searching for the Avatar, a quest that didn't make much sense in her eyes, given that nobody had seen the last airbender in a hundred years, let alone having knowledge of his identity- he was just one Air Nomad, somewhere out there in the world, hiding from the Fire Nation.</p><p>When they reached a stall that sold fruit tarts, amongst other things, Zuko stepped forward at once, pulling out some coins and placing them on the bench, "A fruit tart, please." he asked them, the stall owner glancing down at the coins he'd given.</p><p>"Uh, that's enough for three." he clarified, making the Prince look back her way.</p><p>"Uh, did you want three?" he asked her with an unsure voice, making her smirk.</p><p>"Yes, I'll have three." she confirmed, the stall-owner handing the Prince three fruit tarts, which he gave to her.</p><p>She pulled her mask up, and took a bite out of one, finding it to be unsurprisingly good; it wasn't as good as some she'd had before, but it was still a good thing to eat. She pulled her mask back down as she and Zuko moved over toward a median strip, which was lined by elevated stones, good for them to sit on. Once they were sitting down, she turned back to face the boy beside her, whose posture indicated that he was feeling a little uncomfortable.</p><p>"Do you not like all the people?" she asked him, the Prince turning her way and shaking his head.</p><p>"No. It's not that. It's... it's what I've been thinking about." he explained, Mai raising her chin, not surprised by what she was hearing.</p><p>"I guessed you were worried about something." she noted, before leaning a little closer, both of their masks sitting between their faces, and thus, masking their expressions from each other, "What is it?"</p><p>"It's Father." he admitted, his voice timid, almost sounding afraid to speak, "I know what he has planned now."</p><p>"Oh, so you've been sneaking around for more than just hanging out with me." she noted, before narrowing her eyes, "What's wrong, Zuko?"</p><p>"He... he wants to destroy it all." he admitted, before glancing out around the crowd, "Once this is all his."</p><p>"Everything?" she asked him, "What kind of Fire Lord wants to destroy everything?"</p><p>"Well, not everything, but the other nations... they're going to go the way of the Air Nomads." he admitted, before placing his hands together, "I don't know if I can... if I can tolerate that."</p><p>"You can make your own decisions on what's right, Zuko." she assured him, the Prince looking down at his hands for a few moments, silence falling between them, the only sounds being that of the crowd, which drowned out all the voices into a blur.</p><p>He turned to face her and sighed, "I'm going to be the Crown Prince, and then, some day, I'll be Fire Lord." he acknowledged, "But, I don't know if I can let him do all that."</p><p>"Then don't." she told him, daring to say something she knew she might regret, "Give him some of his own medicine."</p><p>"I can't beat him. He's the most powerful firebender alive." he murmured, Mai raising a brow.</p><p>"Well, you don't need firebending to beat a man whole would be responsible for the death of a Fire Lord, would you?" she asked him, knowing that if whatever Ozai intended for his brother was revealed, then he could be imprisoned, if not executed, for treason.</p><p>"But he's my father." he mumbled, "Even... even if he's a bad man, that doesn't mean I should just betray him like that."</p><p>"What would Azula do?" she asked him, knowing that his thoughts on his sister might clear up some problems; she was always the antagonist to Zuko, but even then, he would admit that her perseverance and strengths were inspiring.</p><p>"She'd let him burn." he spoke up a little louder, his voice sounding even more afraid than it had been before, "She'd let them all burn, just for that damn seat."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Right Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Zuko didn't know why they had all been called to see his grandfather, but he knew it couldn't be good; his father liked to show off Azula's bending to them, but Fire Lord Azulon himself didn't really care much for seeing them. He was a bitter, snarky old man, and seemed rather indifferent to the progress the Prince and his younger sister were making with both their bending and education as heirs of their nation. Of course, Zuko was fourth in line to the throne, and given that his cousin was probably going to get married sooner or later, once he returned from the front, he would be pushed further down the line of succession; he did not expect to become Fire Lord, unless somehow everyone else in the line of succession died, the thought of which disturbed him. </em>
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  <em>Prince Zuko was only eleven years old, and only wanted to serve his country; he didn't want anyone in his family to suffer, especially his uncle or cousin- they were actually nice to him, unlike Azula, who was indifferent to his existence, and his father, who went out his way to mock his son's efforts. He tried his hardest, and he knew that Ozai loved him, even if he was a harsh father; he only wanted the best for him, that was what he always told himself, but even then, he wasn't that dumb. He knew Uncle Iroh was a far better father to Lu Ten than his father was to him, and was actually a little jealous of that fact, though he'd never dare to say it out loud.</em>
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  <em>He followed after his father, who remained silent as they approached the doors of the throne room; his sister walked alongside him, with an intrigued look on her face. Because she wasn't smugly gloating, he could only deduce she didn't know what was going on; even with all the sneaking around she did, even Princess Azula did not know what they were about to walk into. His father's mood was rather neutral, which suggested one of two things; he wasn't either happy or angry about what was going on, or just like his sister, didn't know what they were doing walking to the throne room.</em>
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  <em>When the doors were opened by the Imperial Firebenders, Prince Zuko saw his grandfather's silhouette, sitting there amongst the flames of the throne; it had always scared him, even if he wasn't afraid of his grandfather- he hadn't chided or mocked the young Prince like his father had, so he really had no reason to be afraid of him personally. His father on the other hand, did seem to fear Fire Lord Azulon, enough so that his posture straightened and his usually imposing form became noticeably more timid. Perhaps it was only natural to fear one's father; Lu Ten couldn't have feared his uncle, though, no matter how good a firebender he was. He was only to be feared by the enemies of the Fire Nation like any good prince ought to be.</em>
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  <em>They slowly approached the throne, but quickly enough, the three royals were kneeling before their Fire Lord, whose gaze made Zuko's eyes dart down; he took back his thought that he wasn't afraid of his grandfather- he might have feared him, but it was more because of how imposing he was, not because he had given the young Prince a reason to cower.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father, why have you called upon us?" he asked him, the Fire Lord sitting there, silently for a few moments.</em>
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  <em>"I bear great news for our nation." Azulon spoke with an expression that did not suggest what his words said; great news could be interpreted as news that was important, though not necessarily good, "Ba Sing Se is ours. The Earth King's palace is rubble, and our nation now rules supreme over the impenetrable city." he smirked slightly, which suggested that it must have been good news; the Earth Kingdom was beat, which meant the war was over- Zuko even let out a small smile upon hearing this, knowing that his uncle and cousin would be returning home.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That is good to hear father. The enemies of our nation have finally been vanquished." Ozai spoke with a pleased voice; of course, his father wanted them to win the war- everyone wanted the war to be over, sooner or later.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do not be so quick to smile, Prince Ozai." he chided his son with an annoyed voice, "I did not tell you all of what I have learned from the front." he clarified, the Prince's shoulders slumping slightly, knowing that he ought to not anger his father, "Your nephew, Prince Lu Ten, did not survive the battle." he spoke up, remaining silent for a few moments.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zuko grit his teeth, trying to hold back the emotions he felt; Lu Ten was dead- he was dead, and he wasn't coming back. He wanted to cry, but he knew that his father would beat him if he dared to do that in front of the Fire Lord; he held his head down, listening to the awkward silence that followed his grandfather's words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Turning up to face him, the young Prince noted that Azulon's expression grew more angry, "Do you have no words for the death of your nephew? Or are you going to sit there and gloat?!" he shouted at his son, who leaned back, clearly afraid of his father's words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I apologise, Father." he bowed down, "It is truly tragic for Lu Ten to have passed at a time like this. My brother must be devastated." he acknowledged, his words not sounding very sincere, even if he tried to make them sound so.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Prince Zuko." the Fire Lord addressed him, making the young Prince look up toward his grandfather, "With your cousin's passing, you will now become the Fire Lord, after your uncle and your father." he simply told him the fact of the matter, which didn't improve the Prince's mood in the slightest; becoming the Fire Lord was the furthest thing from his mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Y-yes, Grandfather." he acknowledged him, bowing his head back down; Ozai slapped him on the shoulder, the pain of the strike nigh irrelevant as it drove fear right to the forefront of his mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Refer to the Fire Lord with some respect!" he snarled at him, "It's your majesty." he clarified what he ought to have said; he</em>
  <em> sat there, looking back at his father with fear, unsure what to say, and though he was about to correct himself, Azulon decided to speak before he got the chance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, you will shut your mouth, Prince Ozai." the Fire Lord snarled at him, "Your son is mourning the death of his beloved cousin. Do you think formalities are greater than the bond they held?" he asked his son, which surprised Zuko; his grandfather was standing up for him, even if it was really just being used as an opportunity to chide his son.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your majesty, can I ask a question?" Azula spoke up, her voice more timid than usual, addressing the Fire Lord, whose gaze turned down to her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What is it that you want?" he asked her, the Princess trying to keep a straight face, though he could see the wetness on her cheeks- tears that she must have already wiped away; Zuko realised that she must have been taking it rather badly, even if she was trying her best to hold back the grief she felt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How- how did Cousin die?" she dared to ask him, the Fire Lord turning his gaze upward, away from her; he looked out into the distance for a few moments, before he responded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Dai Li. They killed him, along with a number of other soldiers who valiantly moved to take the palace." he clarified, the Fire Lord looking back down her way, with what Zuko would say was a tinge of sympathy, "My beloved son will deal with them swiftly, now that the city is ours."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azula pursed her lips ever so slightly, and bowed her head back down; the Fire Lord turned his gaze back toward his son, "Now, that you are second in line to the throne, Ozai, I expect that you will take on the duties expected of a Crown Prince. You will be so, soon enough."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father, you are of great health. I wish for your prosperous reign to continue, and for you to continue the victories we have made against the lesser nations." he assured his father, who raised his chin, disgusted by his words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do not act like you do not want this throne." he snarled, Ozai's head dropping down, which intimidated Zuko; his grandfather was willing to bluntly address the matter at hand, it seemed, "You will have it one day, but I expect you will be wiser and better prepared for the role by then."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That is all I can hope for, Father." he bowed his head down, "I will not fail you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was a few moments of silence, before Azulon raised his hand back up toward the doors of throne room, "Leave now, I have other matters to attend to." he snarled, the Prince rising to his feet, eyeing his children; he was obviously angry at how his father had treated him, but he wasn't going to say anything.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The two royal children followed after their father, not daring to look back at their grandfather, who was probably glaring down their father as he walked away from the throne. The young Prince eyed his sister, who was grimacing slightly, though she immediately straightened her face as she realised Zuko was looking her way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Stop looking at me, Zuzu." she snarled, quietly enough that their father probably didn't hear her; he heeded her words, and looked ahead, toward their father's back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn't want to fight, not when all he could think about was his cousin; he was dead, and he had had no chance to say goodbye. He wondered if Iroh had been given the chance to say goodbye to his son, or he had just seen his body, after the Dai Li killed him. He turned his eyes down, and held back his tears; his Uncle Iroh didn't deserve it, and neither did his cousin. They were good; he considered that they probably the best people he knew, and despite that, Lu Ten was dead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Cousin didn't deserve that." he mumbled under his breath, his father's eyes darting back to meet his own, making the young Prince tense up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Be quiet. I will not have you snivelling." Ozai growled at his son, speaking quietly enough that the Imperial Guards they were approaching could not hear, "People die, Prince Zuko. I thought you already understood that." he simply stated the fact of the matter, the Prince looked down, trying to remember his mother's face; it was all a blur, and all he could remember was that she was there, and that she wasn't like his father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He narrowed his eyes, thinking that if everyone died, he couldn't think of a reason why his mother, or his cousin, would deserve to, when people like his father and grandfather were as mean-spirited and unkind as they were. The kind seemed to die, and the callous and uncaring seemed to live; all he could do was look at his sister, remembering that her life had only come about through the death of the parent who might have really loved and cared for him, and snarl, with hate in his eyes. If destiny was a real, manipulable thing, he wanted to find it and torch it until it was ashes, and then burn the ashes into nothingness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This isn't fair."</em>
</p><hr/><p>"I'm here to see my Uncle."</p><p>The Imperial Firebender stood there, looking at Zuko like he was some kind of idiot; that did not improve his mood, and he sighed, waiting for a response, whenever it was to come.</p><p>He cleared his throat, before gesturing down the hall, "The Fire Lord is not in his office, Prince Zuko." he clarified, "His majesty is in his quarters, packing for a trip."</p><p>"A trip?" he raised a brow, "What kind of trip?"</p><p>"I apologise, your highness, but he did not give any details." he admitted, the young Prince sighing, frustrated by the suggestion.</p><p>If his uncle was leaving the capital, perhaps he would be safer from his father's machinations, but Zuko could not sure of anything when it came Ozai's plotting; he did not know how wide-reaching and complex his plans really were, only truly having comprehension of the end result, that being the immolation of the Earth Kingdom for the sake of peace.</p><p>"Fine." he sighed, glaring at the guard for a few moments before he continued on down the hallway.</p><p>He didn't know who was working for his father in the palace, and that might have explained why the Imperial Firebender didn't know what Iroh was doing; his uncle was no moron, and he obviously knew that he had to take precautions, especially given his father's aspirations for the throne. He made his way down the hallway, eyeing the doors which led to his uncle's bedroom, which had been his grandfather's until a few months prior; there was two guards standing in front of the doors, who obviously noted him approaching. One of them raised a hand to warn him.</p><p>"Your highness, the Fire Lord is currently attending to matters."</p><p>"He's packing his bags for something, not having a meeting." he retorted, gesturing to the door, "At least tell him I've come by. I want to see him." he explained, the Imperial Firebenders looking at him with rather surprised expressions, before one of them pushed the door ajar.</p><p>"Your majesty, your nephew is here." he explained, the Prince hearing a bit of shuffling behind them door, before his uncle appeared, wearing more simple robes than he was expecting; obviously he wasn't planning to go out and deal with anyone official, so he wasn't wearing his Fire Lord robes.</p><p>"Oh, Prince Zuko, it's good to see you. I apologise, I was just packing for my trip." he explained, the Prince raising a brow.</p><p>"Sorry, your trip?" he asked, still having no idea what was going on; the Fire Lord eyed the two guards at the door, before he gestured for his nephew to approach.</p><p>"Just come inside." he simply requested, the Prince heeding his words, stepping through the doorway, which Iroh shut behind him; he hadn't actually been in the Fire Lord's bedroom before, and he was rather impressed.</p><p>The bed was massive, and he had an ornate desk and a balcony to accompany it; allowing him to look out over the palace. He turned his attention to his uncle, and the bags he looked to be packing, which included some armour; wherever his uncle was going, it was going to be dangerous, it seemed.</p><p>"Uncle, where are you going? How come I haven't heard anything about it?" he asked, Iroh grimacing slightly.</p><p>"I apologise for keeping you in the dark, Prince Zuko, I just wanted to keep my plans between myself and the people I'll be taking with me." he explained, before gesturing to his desk, "I have received a message from the King of Omashu; he wants to organise a peace treaty."</p><p>"A treaty?" he raised a brow, confused by what his uncle was saying, "But we're about to win the siege."</p><p>"I know that, but this will allow us to have a smoother transition to peace, which is what everyone wants. I cannot stand idly by while my countrymen suffer." he assured him, the Fire Lord placing his hands together, "I will not be here for a few weeks while I sail to Omashu to sign this treaty."</p><p>"And what of the rest of the affairs here? You're still the Fire Lord, Uncle. Are you saying you've going to give up your duties?" he asked him, Iroh grimacing slightly.</p><p>"I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was necessary, Prince Zuko." he stressed, "You father will make sure nothing goes astray while I'm away."</p><p>"Does he know?"</p><p>"No." he clarified, "I told Ozai that I needed to take a trip to Ember Island- a vacation."</p><p>"Good." the Prince smiled, before realising by saying that, he had revealed that he knew something.</p><p>"Nephew, is there something you need to tell me?" he asked him, the Prince stepping forward.</p><p>He couldn't lie to his uncle, after all he'd done for him; he'd been there for Zuko, and he couldn't forget that so quickly, no matter how much he wanted to be Crown Prince, and how much he wanted to be the Fire Lord.</p><p>"Uncle, Father's plotting something." he admitted, "I know you know, that's why you're lying to him."</p><p>"Yes, I do." he nodded, "What have you learned?"</p><p>"That he wants to do... horrible things to the Earth Kingdom, once he's the Fire Lord."</p><p>"Well, we're lucky he's not. While I'm away, I've given him express orders to only follow with what I've set out. There's only a few operations that need to be done, to ensure that our military isn't overextended. Withdrawing from the islands formerly inhabited by the Air Nomads is one of them." he acknowledged, "I will make sure your father cannot do anything terrible, Prince Zuko. The Fire Lord has to serve his country, and do his duty to his subjects. The Earth Kingdom are my subjects, and once he is Fire Lord, they will be his too."</p><p>"You... you aren't going to stop him?" he asked him, the Fire Lord raising a brow at him, obviously a little confused.</p><p>"Stop him? I don't need to stop him. I'm the Fire Lord. My brother is a great firebender, but that's about it- I don't mean to offend you, Prince Zuko, but your father is no ruler. As long as I breathe, he will not rule our nation, even if I go on a trip from time to time."</p><p>"He won't change, Uncle." he simply stated the fact of the matter, "Father's never been kind. He's not going to agree with what you're doing... I know it for a fact; he said it."</p><p>"He can say what he likes... but if your father commits treason, then he'll go to jail. And if there's an Agni Kai, I know how to win." he acknowledged the cause and effect; if Ozai tried anything, then Iroh could simply have him arrested, and if he tried to fight him in an Agni Kai, the Fire Lord would win, without a doubt- at least that's what his uncle was portraying to him.</p><p>"Are you sure you could win that duel, Uncle?"</p><p>"Oh, your father is unimaginative when it comes to firebending. I have mastered it in more ways than he could dream to. I am ready to face him, if he dares to try."</p><p>Zuko trembled at what he was hearing; his uncle sounded like he was completely tolerant of the scenario where he'd have to kill his own brother, which was a disturbing thing enough, no matter how mean-spirited his father was.</p><p>"U-Uncle..." he mumbled, before looking down, "Why is our family like this?"</p><p>The Fire Lord looked at him with a poignant face, before turning away, almost ashamed, "I was not as good a brother as I could have been, Prince Zuko. My father was not a good father, even if he had been kind enough to me." he acknowledged, "I don't want you and Azula to go the same way as Ozai and I have gone."</p><p>"But Azula... I can't trust her. She's just like him." he narrowed his eyes, not thinking what his uncle was saying was a reasonable outcome; he and his sister despised each other, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon- he had never liked her, and he knew that she wanted to take his rightful place, "I'm meant to be father's heir, but she wants to take it away from me... like all of my efforts mean nothing. I've tried, Uncle, I've tried hard to be a good son."</p><p>"I know you have, Nephew." he placed a hand on his shoulder, his grasp comforting when Ozai never would be; he knew that, even if he wanted his father to approve of him, to praise his strengths, he would never find the care that his uncle gave him.</p><p>"I wish he could treat me like you treated Lu Ten. You were a great father, Uncle." he told him, the Fire Lord's eyes watering as he leaned in and hugged his nephew.</p><p>"I wasn't, Prince Zuko." he told him, making Zuko's eyes widen; that wasn't just his uncle being modest, the tone of his voice told him he really believed that, "Your father, despite his flaws, is no fool. My ignorance and arrogance led to my son's death. If I had half the wit Ozai did, maybe my son would still be alive. Maybe all those soldiers who died in Ba Sing Se would still be alive."</p><p>"Uncle, you're not a fool. You're a great man. You're the Fire Lord." he assured him, his words the truth as he saw it, "You have inspired so many... not just me. Everyone looks up to you, maybe not Father, but pretty much everyone else."</p><p>"I am not as deserving of that praise as some might think, Prince Zuko." he acknowledged, before making a small smile, "I will try and earn it. I want to do right by the Fire Nation, and by the world."</p><p>"The war's nearly over, Uncle." he acknowledged, "You have all the time to make your mark."</p><p>"I know." he nodded, before grimacing slightly, "My brother may be the Fire Lord after me, but I hope that by then, even he will see a better world, and a better way for our nation."</p><p>"I hope that too, Uncle." he smiled at him, knowing that even if it was a pointless aspiration, he would hold it nonetheless; Prince Ozai was not the Fire Lord yet- he had yet to do the horrible things he claimed he wanted to do, and with that, there was still hope that he mightn't try them.</p><p>"And if he doesn't," he mumbled, narrowing his eyes at his nephew, "then you will be my heir."</p><p>"I don't think Father will approve of that." he acknowledged with a quiet voice, even if internally he was ecstatic at the suggestion.</p><p>"I know he won't, but if you're to be my heir, you and Azula have to come to terms with each other. I understand the tension between you two, but you must understand, she is not too far gone yet. She can do great things, just as you can; all you have to do is believe the best in her."</p><p>He turned away, feeling ashamed by his thoughts, but he had to express them, "I- I don't know if I can do that, Uncle."</p><p>"Try, Prince Zuko." he reached out to him, not with his hand, but with his heart, "Please, just try to see the best of her. I try to, and she... well, she doesn't seem to despise me."</p><p>"Nobody could despise you, Uncle." he assured him, even if they had just been talking about the one person who certainly did; his father's opinion of Iroh made no sense, and Zuko just hoped that he could see that his brother was a good Fire Lord, and that his way of seeing the world wasn't wrong.</p><p>"I have to pack my things." he simply acknowledged, "But if you wanted to see off, that would be kind of you."</p><p>"I'd be glad to, Uncle." he turned his way with a smile, which faltered as he remembered what he was obliged to do that afternoon, "I just don't know if I should be missing my firebending presentation with Father."</p><p>"Oh... well, you can always come down after that. You do know how to get around quickly, Nephew." he suggested; the Prince turned away, remembering how he'd come to learn what he had told his uncle.</p><p>"I do, Uncle."</p><hr/><p>Bending the flames away from her body, Azula grit her teeth, feeling the heat lap up on her extremities; even if she was more than capable of bending the flames of the Imperial Firebenders, every bit of harm they could do to her was nothing in comparison to what the Avatar might be capable of doing. She took a deep breath as she held her stance, staring them down; she did not cockily smirk at them, but simply glared them down, waiting for the next volley of fireballs that was bound to come her way.</p><p>"Again!" she demanded, and her men heeded her; she reached forward to the fireballs that were coming her way, feeling them like she would her own fire.</p><p>Given she was in tune with her element, she doubted she'd even need to be able to see to block their attack, but her eyes were a weapon in and of themselves; her glare made her men hesitate, unsure how she would respond, or where she would direct her ferocious attack. She raised a hand up, bending a wall of flames between her and the Imperial Firebenders, small enough that she should dedicate energy into a jet of flames by the sole of her right foot; once the fireballs had all been subsumed into her wall of flames, she let go of it, and sent out a stream of flames, twisting her body around to use her right leg as if were her arm, dropping her left hand down toward the deck to steady her balance.</p><p>Once she'd done enough with that attack, keeping the Imperial Firebenders at bay, even if only for a moment, she reached both of her hands to the deck, feeling her weight shift to them, before she was able to launch herself back up, without any assistance from her firebending. Momentarily airborne, she eyed her men while she was upside down, before firing two jets from the soles of her feet, creating a fire stream which knocked two of the men down. She smirked, thinking herself more than capable of taking down the rest, weaving out of the way of a fire stream sent by one of them; she then sent out a low kick, weakening his stance before she blocked another fireball, this time with her hand, nullifying the flame itself.</p><p>"You really ought to try harder than that." she chided him, before flipping herself over once more, her feet sending out fireballs toward another guard, who probably thought himself able to abuse the momentary distraction she had experienced.</p><p>He grunted as he stumbled back, before the Princess charged a bolt of flames in her right hand; she leapt forward, grasping him by the left arm, before she fired the bolt right at his head, knocking him straight to the ground, and unconscious. The other Imperial Firebenders seemed rather unnerved by her move, but continued to attack her with their firebending; though it was rather impressive in terms of strength, their forms were simple and predictable. Azula spun her hands around, dispersing the flames as they came her way, though they licked up her arms and legs; she grit her teeth from the heat, but tried her best to keep a straight face. Ducking under a fire stream, she kicked her left leg out toward the Imperial Firebender who made it, sending her own fire stream out which hit him square in the gut and threw him over. She then weaved around another fireball that was aimed right at her head, before sending a volley of bolts toward the remaining guards, keeping them on their toes.</p><p>"Too slow." she mocked them, before making a low sweeping kick as two of them sent fire streams toward her; though their flames were impressive, they were left completely open once they were tripped over by the arc of flames she had sent out from her foot.</p><p>The Princess then jumped up, charging bolts of fire on each of her finger tips, spinning her hands around to create fire whips, which she was able to strike the last two remaining guards; they ripped themselves free by using their own firebending to break the whips, but were too slow to stop her from reaching them. She jabbed one in the gut, making him lurch over before she grasped the hand of the other, holding off the fireball he had charged in his hand; he tried to shoot it at her head, but ended up hitting the deck beside her, before she uppercut him with her fist covered in flames. He stumbled back, and almost looked like he was about to fight back, before he fell right down onto his backside, which made her almost want to laugh.</p><p>"That was a good spar." she commended their efforts; they were good firebenders, but they weren't fast enough to hit her.</p><p>The Princess glanced back up along the deck, looking at all the other guards, some of whom were only just recovering from the beating she'd given them; she nodded, thinking that they handled her well, given they had actually been able to defend themselves. She cracked her knuckles, and stretched her hands and arms out, momentarily feeling the bliss of having worked out to the point where she was almost tired, but not too much so. Azula wasn't so lazy that she'd just train herself to exhaustion and laze about for the rest of the day; she had a mission to complete, even if she was yet to find evidence of the Avatar's presence at the Air Temples she had visited.</p><p>She still had some scrolls to read, especially those she'd ended up procuring from the Northern Air Temple; the colonists there had been holding the secrets of the Air Nomads, even if they didn't understand them. She could, because unlike them, she was already well aware of what had happened at the Air Temples and why; the Avatar was hiding from the world, and even if she didn't fully understand why, she was sure she could understand him before she even encountered the last airbender.</p><p>Striding along over the deck, she approached the staircase in the centre, and walked on down, momentarily glancing back to her guards, who were still recovering from the beating she'd given them, "You're dismissed." she clarified an order that she ought to give; they shouldn't just lie on the deck for the rest of the afternoon because she didn't explicitly tell them to leave.</p><p>Turning her attention back down the stairs, she continued along, walking past a few servants, who were even more cautious in her presence; after she interrogated Ning, word must have gotten around, so they were even more afraid of inconveniencing her. They didn't dare to speak, simply looking away as she strode past; she cocked a smirk, proud of the fear she could incite into them, though she realised it wasn't really going to help her much. She still wanted the servants to do their jobs, after all, and she couldn't have the people tending to her every need thinking she was going to go around and kill them on the spot for making a mistake. Perhaps she might throw them off her ship, at the next port, at the very worst, but she had no intention of getting the blood of a foolish servant on her hands.</p><p>Lo and Li were the only people to earn her ire as of recent, and they had been quickly dispensed of; she would be immensely disappointed if they appeared at the palace once she returned- she did not want to see their faces again after what they had pulled on her. She did not spite her father for what he had done, but she would try and prevent any kind of stupid intervention he might have planned for her. She was to find the Avatar with her skill, wit and the knowledge she could gather, and if he wanted to stop her from doing that because of some stupendous argument about 'perverse knowledge', she would simply remind him by a short letter that it was technology and knowledge that had allowed the Fire Nation to surpass the other nations, and that their superiority lay in that knowledge, not in the power of their flames. Even if she trained herself everyday with the intention of becoming the greatest firebender in the world, she knew that firebending was not everything when it came to strength; strength of mind was something that she needed, and she knew that someone like her uncle, no matter how great a bender he happened to be, was only able to achieve his feats through wit and intelligence. She could not see how else one could command an army to conquer Ba Sing Se.</p><p>She got back to her room quickly enough, and opened the door, scanning across her desk, glad that the message had gotten out; the scrolls she had there hadn't been moved whatsoever, "Brilliant." she pursed her lips upward.</p><p>She then sat down beside the desk, letting out a sigh, knowing that she'd gotten quite the work-out; though she thought she could go for a spa session, she would dedicate some time to reading her scrolls first. She was only a few days at the very most from the Eastern Air Temple, and though they were set to drop in at a port for resupply soon enough, she was considering what she might need to know before she arrived there. The more she knew about the Air Nomads and their temples, the better a chance she'd have of finding the things she was looking for.</p><p>She pulled out a scroll she had retrieved, which was a scroll that described meditation exercises for airbenders, which she found to be rather interesting; there were a lot of parallels between how she herself meditated and how the Air Nomads were purported to. They spent time calming themselves down and detaching themselves from their worries and material desires; though she wasn't intending to be a monk, she understood the principle of non-attachment, and knew that it applied to her firebending. If she didn't become overly emotional when firebending, she would have better control over her element; thus, non-attachment was a tool she could use. The problem she faced was that it seemed very hard to achieve such a mindset.</p><p>Princess Azula understood what it was that she wanted, that being to become the best possible heir she could be; becoming capable of running her nation as she wanted to. Defeating and capturing the Avatar was something that was distinct from that, but it was on her path; she wanted to do that so she could prove her worth and earn the respect of not just her uncle and father, but that of her nation as a whole. It also provided her with the opportunity to learn; even if she did not believe that detaching herself from her wants and desires was a reasonable idea, she could use the idea and apply it when she was facing the Avatar, and perhaps, when she ruled as Fire Lord.</p><p>She could not use her strength with only her own desires in mind, but that of her nation; those desires ought to align, and thus make her needs that of the world. Even if that was the opposite of what the Air Nomads intended, she knew it was still an application of their philosophy; they were detached from the world, and in contrast, she sought to rule it- it only made sense to attach herself to the desires of her nation, over that of herself as an individual. She was not Fire Lord yet, but she was sure that when she inherited her rightful place, she would rule as a leader capable of taking into account what was best for her people. She might not have lived the life of a peasant in the outer islands, or a factory worker in the capital, but she had to rule for them, as much as she did for herself.</p><p>"But who does the Avatar think for?" she mumbled under her breath, knowing that even if the Air Nomads were detached, the Avatar could not be; they were the master of all four elements, the bridge between the human and spirit worlds.</p><p>She knew that the Avatar could not remain detached from the world, which was why they had to serve 'balance' as they understood it. Of course, this was in opposition to the great march of progress that Sozin had intended and she understood that the Avatar, wherever they were, would oppose it. She had no idea why they had not appeared and fought the Fire Nation; there had to be a reason they were hiding, even if she couldn not understand it yet. Perhaps they were conflicted, and did not want to be attached, and their Air Nomad philosophy had forced them to isolate themselves and ignore the world. The only question then, was where the Avatar would spend those one hundred years, detached and oblivious to the world's affairs. The most isolated mountains, islands or the frozen wilderness of the poles; she just hoped he was at one of the Air Temples, hiding from the world, and not somewhere she wouldn't even think to look.</p><p>"Where? Where did he go?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Wielding Destiny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>When she heard he was back, Azula knew she couldn't avoid her uncle; the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation was probably the most important person in the country, barring the Fire Lord himself, and Fire Lord Azulon was a very old man. Soon enough, her uncle would be the Fire Lord, so she would need to earn his respect; he was the man who would rule her country, and she understood the respect she would need if she wanted to be the Fire Lord one day. However, the Dragon of the West was not the same man who had left the palace; she could see that as soon as she saw his face. Iroh had gone off to Ba Sing Se, hopeful and determined to find victory for their nation; that was over two and a half years prior, and now, he returned, saddened by the loss of his son, probably uncaring for the victory he had achieved- for all intents and purposes, the Earth Kingdom was theirs, but his will had been shattered.</em>
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  <em>She saw him sitting doing what he seemed to like the most, drinking tea; though Zuko had gone to speak with him first, she waited patiently, knowing that she would have to discuss matters with him. She was closer to the throne, because of her cousin's demise, and she could not ignore that; her father was certainly going to become the Fire Lord at some point, and after that, perhaps she could succeed him. She was still a child, and perhaps Iroh did not think she was ready to talk about things like that, but she was; her father had not had her train and learn from her tutors what she had with the intention of her being merely a Princess, but a future Fire Lord.</em>
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  <em>When her brother left the tea-room, she waited a few moments for him to walk on down the hallway, hoping that he didn't see her standing in the shadows; he didn't even look back, though she could tell from his posture he was probably just weeping over their cousin's demise. She had experienced many emotions the day they found out about Lu Ten, but tried to keep them at bay; she could not cry in front of her father, no matter how much she would miss her cousin. He was a good man, and she knew that he did not deserve the fate he had received. Her uncle might have been weird, and perhaps not suitable for the role he was going to inherit, but her cousin, he was the kind of person she could have seen being a great Fire Lord. Noble of heart, and ferociously loyal to their nation; he wanted to serve it so badly that he had joined his father to fight in the siege, where he had died.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Now, it would be her that would one day be the Fire Lord, if she had anything to say about it; Zuko could act like and think he was the heir- even their grandfather thought that was inevitable, but Azula would fight tooth and nail for what she knew was rightfully hers. She strode toward her uncle, having this in mind, and when he turned to face her, he smiled; she couldn't understand why- she knew that he ought to be sad, knowing what they would have to discuss, but for some reason, he couldn't help but smile. Her presumptions were confirmed once more- her uncle was a weird man.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Niece, I'm... glad that you've come to see me." he smiled at her, though his tone sounded pained, "It's been a long time."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." she simply acknowledged the fact of the matter, before she sat down across from him, where Zuko had, "What did you and Zuzu talk about?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, so you were watching us?" he asked her, somewhat amused in his tone, the Princess nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, yes." she didn't bother to lie, knowing that it was easier to tackle things head on when it came to her uncle; he wasn't going to punish her for eavesdropping or spying, unlike her father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We talked about what happened there." he simply admitted, "I shouldn't have taken so long to come back here... but I had to... do things." he admitted, his words cryptically disguising whatever he had been up to between conquering Ba Sing Se and returning to the capital; it usually wouldn't take eight months to get back to the Fire Nation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's not right... what happened to Cousin." she tried to phrase herself in a way that seemed more distant from Lu Ten; he had been kinder to her, kinder than most, and she knew that it would be a challenge to try and act like she didn't care.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It wasn't." he sighed, his expression now showing his true emotions; he was broken by what happened to his son, and she didn't know if he'd ever be the same again, "Lu Ten fought for his country, and he paid the price I wish I could have paid instead."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uncle." she addressed him, her voice timid, despite wanting to sound serious, "What did you do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What do you mean?" he asked her, simply confused by her rather vague question; given the context, she thought he would have understood it a little better.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"To them. The people who killed him." she acknowledged, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation drawing a long breath, as if he were trying to hold himself back from telling her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I defeated the Dai Li." he simply put it, "They tried to hold the palace, and we destroyed it." he acknowledged with a grimace, "I do not know how many died, but... it doesn't matter. Our victory cost many lives, not just your cousin's."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did you capture any of them?" she asked Iroh, whose eyes darted away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I did not." he acknowledged, "I know that my men... well... they got their revenge." he conceded, almost as if he were disgusted by it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I am..." she began, before realising she wasn't glad they won; despite how much she wanted the war to be won, she could not justify it in her mind that their victory was worth it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The loss of her cousin was so great, and incomparable to the victory they had achieved; Ba Sing Se could have been conquered another day, if they had not pushed on, and her cousin would have lived.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are what?" Iroh asked her, looking at her with a concerned face, "Azula, what's wrong?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned her eyes down, and simply tried to think of an excuse, "Could I have some of the tea? It smells good." she excused herself; she didn't care about the tea, but it was something to keep her mind off of her cousin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course, my niece." he smiled at her, before flipping an empty cup over, pouring some of the aromatic mixture into it; she pulled the cup closer to her, blowing on it before she sipped from the cup.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The tea did taste good, but she wasn't going to say that to her uncle, lest she lose her dignity and image; not that she was trying to make it seem to her uncle that she was completely focused on her bending and had no time for worldly pleasures, but she did want to show off through her actions that she was a serious, competent and dutiful Princess. Once she placed the cup back down on the table, she noticed that Iroh had been intently staring her down, though not out of suspicion; he seemed more confused about her diversion, which he could probably understand had to do with her feelings about Lu Ten.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Princess Azula," he addressed her by her title, which indicated that he was being serious, "may I ask, how have you been since I left?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She raised a brow, a little confused as to why he was asking about how she had been; he thought he would be more concerned about her reaction to her cousin's demise, but instead, he just wanted to know about her life. She didn't think it had been a bad two years, though she knew that her training had only grown more intense; her father was serious about having her be ready to serve her nation, and with that, she was expected to become a master firebender as young as possible. She didn't know when she would master lightning generation, or any other complex and challenging firebending techniques that she had yet to understand. She did have one bit of news on that front; her firebending wasn't orange any more, which was a surprise at the very least; she had only achieved her blue firebending a few months prior, and her father had been drilling her to perfect it, and by that point, she could no longer bend orange fire.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My fire." she spoke up, raising her left hand up to show it to her uncle, before she sparked a blue flame in her palm; his eyes widened, shimmering with awe of what he was seeing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's... impressive." he acknowledged, "How long have you been able to do that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Only a few months ago." she clarified, "Father says it's because I'm a prodigy. Even Grandfather was impressed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sure he was." Iroh nodded along, before his eyes turned away momentarily; his tone suggested there was more to his words than she could understand, but she decided not to press it, a little confused why he was feeling off about it, "Zuko didn't mention that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course he didn't. He's jealous." she smugly asserted, knowing it to be true; her brother wished he had firebending as great as her own, but despite all his hard work, his was feeble in comparison.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He is." he agreed with her, "Ozai was just like that when he was his age. He wanted to be a better firebender than me, but I was so much older and more skilled that my father didn't really consider his bending." he acknowledged, making Azula cringe slightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her uncle comparing Zuko to her father was something she really wouldn't have imagined possible, but it did make a little sense; her father resented Iroh for a number of reasons, and his bending prowess had to be one of them, and her brother felt the same about her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father and Zuko are nothing alike." she tried to deny his observation, "Father's a great firebender."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Through hard work." he clarified, "Nobody is born great."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was." she argued, before he chuckled; whether he was denying her claim or actually thought she wasn't a great firebender was unclear, but she would be offended either way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, you can say that, but if your father hadn't had you taught from such a young age, would you have become such a great firebender?" he asked her, the Princess turning her eyes away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know." she whispered, before picking up the cup of tea, knowing that would give her an excuse not to respond to whatever question came out of her uncle's mouth.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nobody is born great." Iroh argued, "We have potential, that is true, but who you grow into is something that is not predetermined." he acknowledged, making her look at him with confusion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought you believed in destiny, Uncle." she noted, remembering him saying something about it before he had gone to Ba Sing Se.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Destiny is malleable, my niece. It is not something that is impermeable to change. If you are destined to be great, then it is up to you to decide how you make yourself great." he advised her, the Princess narrowing her eyes; his words were confusing, but even then, she got the jist of what he was trying to tell her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know that I will be a great Princess." she acknowledged, deciding not to state the next step, knowing that it mightn't be the right time to discuss her aspirations for the throne.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I believe in you, Azula." he assured her with a warm smile, "I believe in both of you."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Zuko did not want to think the worst of his father, knowing that fundamentally they both wanted the same thing: to serve their country. However, the Prince could not help but be suspicious about his father's late evening meeting with a shady looking man; he had watched them from afar, hiding on a nearby rooftop of the palace, listening in to their conversation. To his frustration, the Prince Ozai only spoke cryptically, and the man barely said a word; the only thing he noticed was that his father exchanged a document with his father, and after that, the two of them went their separate ways.</p><p>He decided to follow his father, given that there must have been a reason for him to give the shady figure a message. He carefully climbed down from the roof, and after that, followed his father down the hallway; given that it was after dark, there weren't that many guards around, except at the entrances into each section of the palace. He was forced to take a diverting route around through a small conference room to miss some guards his father walked by, before he continued to follow after Ozai. He was cautious to keep his distance, but eventually, his father did stop at the messenger hawk station, located at the northern end of the palace. The Prince stayed by the doorway, peering over once he knew his father was distracted by a messenger hawk. Zuko's eyes widened as he saw his father pull out another scroll, which he placed into the carrying box, before locking it and setting the messenger hawk loose.</p><p>From what the Prince could tell, his father seemingly sent two messages at once, one by messenger hawk, and the other by courier. That seemed too serious to ignore, and with no other choice, he tailed after the courier, who was likely leaving the palace with haste. He dashed down the hallway, and immediately moved to get to the nearest secret entrance in the palace, knowing that he'd need to take a route via the catacombs under the city if he was to reach the courier in time. He found a door, which was opened via a quick firebending form; he had to place his hand on a mechanism, disguised as being part of a beam, and send his flames into it. Once the mechanism opened the secret entrance, he stepped inside and pushed the sliding door closed, making sure nobody saw him leave.</p><p>He raced down a staircase, quickly making his way underneath the palace, into the catacombs proper; he had to open another door at the base of the stairs, again with his firebending, before he was able to enter the catacombs proper. To his luck, guards didn't tend to patrol the catacombs, though some of the easier to access entrances were guarded, to his knowledge. He only ever used the more secretive ones, wanting to avoid walking into any guards; the kinds of things he got up to in his theatre mask were not things he wanted his father hearing about.</p><p>He sprinted through the catacombs, having memorised the labyrinthine shape of the structure well; he'd gone through it enough times when he'd gone off to see Mai in secret, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, nor let his father comprehend the relationship he had with the girl. She was one of his only friends, and he knew that his father would probably disapprove of such 'distractions' and try to have them separated. He tried not to think of her at that very moment; the courier ought to be at the centre of his mind.</p><p>When he did eventually reach the exit he needed to take, he climbed up a ladder, scaling it with haste; one of the rungs snapped, and the Prince cringed, hoping it wasn't too loud- he was close to the street, and he didn't want anybody hearing him beneath their feet. Scaling up the rest of the ladder, he pushed the stone plate above him out of the way, glancing around the alleyway he was to climb out into. Seeing that there was no one there, he climbed out of the hole, and put the stone plate back in place, before he immediately moved to the end of the alleyway; he could see the courier walking down toward the gates of the palace, and waited by the corner of the alleyway patiently for him to leave.</p><p>Once the courier moved past the gates, obviously cleared to leave, he saw him approaching a carriage, which was waiting for him nearby; the Prince's eyes widened, realising he'd have to get to the carriage and stop it from leaving. He couldn't chase after a messenger hawk, but he could get after a person with ease, as long as he knew where he'd be heading. The Prince decided to run off the guess that the messenger was going to travel out of the caldera; that was the only reason they'd be getting in a carriage, given the relatively small size of the Caldera City. Making his way down the alleyway, he approached the next street that crossed perpendicular to the main road, which the carriage would obviously be taking, given that it was the only way to leave the caldera, at least outside of the catacombs.</p><p>The Prince waited by the street corner, knowing he was looking for the message, not the messenger; he would have to get him out of the carriage first, and he had a pretty easy way to do that. As the carriage was being drawn by a dragon moose, there was one simple thing to do; and that was to scare the animal, forcing it to a halt. Though he didn't want to have to use his firebending while in disguise, he knew that it was his best option to achieve just that. As the carriage approached, the Prince took a deep breath, before he bent a wall of flames in front of the creature, which cried out with fear, raising its forelegs, and moving back, much to the chagrin of the driver; who Zuko swiftly knocked out with a jab to the head.</p><p>"Sorry." he apologised to the man, not really knowing how well involved he was with his father's intelligence apparatus; he could have just been hired for the job, and got beaten up by a random assailant for no reason other than being in the way.</p><p>The Prince pulled out one of his dao, and slashed the door open; to his surprise, the courier jumped out, immediately trying to attack him with firebending. He raised his left hand up, bending the flames to either side of himself, effectively blocking his attack; the courier looked his way with eyes of fear- if he knew who he was, perhaps he'd be even more afraid, if only from the reputation Prince Ozai had built up for himself. He blocked the courier's hands as he tried to conjure a wall of flames between the two of them, quickly slashed his dao at his shins; he cried out with pain, and Zuko grasped him by the collar, and began to drag him toward a nearby alleyway.</p><p>As he squirmed, trying to break himself free, the Prince couldn't help but sigh, "Stop it if you know what's good for you." he warned him with a purposefully deeper voice, hoping to intimidate him; it worked, and when he was thrown up against a wall, he kept the tip of his dao by the man's throat.</p><p>"What were you doing in the palace?" he simply asked him, the courier's eyes widening.</p><p>"I don't know who you're working for... but you will pay dearly for this." he warned the Prince, who leaned closer, the blade moving to nearly pierce his throat.</p><p>"Give me the scroll." he demanded, the courier's eyes widening; he immediately set his hand on fire, which suggested the worst- he was going to get rid of any evidence of Ozai's activities.</p><p>He responded in turn by kicking the man right in the head, forcing his head into the wall and knocking him out cold; he reached over to take the scroll out of the man's robes, and once he had got it, he darted down the alleyway. The guards would be coming after him, so he needed to be quick.</p><p>"You! Stop!" a guard demanded, before shouting out, "Get around the block, don't let him escape!"</p><p>The Prince grit his teeth, and realised that he'd be in a lot of danger if he got caught; the kind of danger he seriously wanted to avoid. His father hadn't had a reason to be truly angry with him, given that his comparatively less impressive bending was out of Zuko's control; Ozai would certainly be justified in being furious if he learned about him sneaking around and spying on his treason-laden meetings.</p><p>Once he reached the end of the alleyway, he immediately looked for anywhere to hide from the guards; he knew they probably couldn't follow him to the rooftops, but that would be somewhere he'd be rather easy to spot, especially given they'd know to look there. He decided that his best bet was to run down the closest alleyway and find a corner to cover in; he charged across the street, seeing a few guards, who obviously could see where he was heading. he was a lot faster than them, however, and was had to quickly make his way down the alley between two large houses.</p><p>He decided in that moment his safest bet was to jump over into someone's backyard. Nobles loved to have their ornate gardens, so he knew he'd be able to easily hide in some bushes. He turned around a corner in the alleyway, and jumped up to grasp the top of a brick fence; it was a challenge to reach, but Zuko's athleticism was something even he himself underestimated. He grunted as he pulled his body up and over the fence, and heard the shouts of the guards, who made their way right down the alleyway.</p><p>The Prince cowered down, sitting down behind a bush that was planted against the fence; it was rather prickly, and was irritating his skin, despite the robes he had over his body. He tried his best to stay as still as possible, waiting for the guards to move by.</p><p>"Where'd he go?" one of the guards snarled, "He can't have just disappeared."</p><p>"Did any of you get a good look at him?" another asked, one of the guards responding with a confused voice.</p><p>"He had a theatre mask on." he mumbled, "Like, from one of those traditional plays."</p><p>"It was blue. He's like some kind of blue demon." another added, making his comrades laugh.</p><p>"That wasn't a demon, buddy. That's what you call a thief." he acknowledged, "I'm going to go interrogate the men he beat up, but all of you, keep an eye out for him. He looks dangerous, so don't get too close without back-up."</p><p>The guards then sounded like they were moving away, probably guessing Zuko had continued to run off around the city. He sighed with relief, and turned to pull out the scroll he had stolen; he hadn't gotten a chance to look at it, so he decided to do so at that moment. He unfurled the scroll, and sparked a flame in his left hand, allowing him to look at it. The Prince's gut dropped as he read the first few words.</p><p>"You will be rewarded greatly for the death of Fire Lord Iroh." he whispered the words aloud, just to try and make sure he wasn't misreading them.</p><p>He continued to read along, though he didn't dare to say the rest out loud, "As a precaution, you will be given disguises indicative of Earth Kingdom soldiers, so it looks like they were behind the attack in case it fails. The man who has given you this letter will provide you with your reward once you return to the Fire Nation; in the case that he was unsuccessful in giving you this message, a second courier has been sent this message by messenger hawk, to ensure that you know that my offer still holds. Burn this letter as soon as you have read it."</p><p>His eyes widened, realising what he had just read, "F-Father..." he mumbled, unsure what to say or do; he couldn't stop the other message from reaching the assassins, so he would have to do something else to warn his uncle.</p><p>"I have to send a message to Uncle, right away." he acknowledged the fact of the matter, before his eyes widened, realising that his father was probably having every single message from the messenger hawk station checked, especially given that the only things that were usually sent out of there would be official messages or whatever conspiratorial things Ozai was up to at that very moment.</p><p>The first thing he thought of was who he could trust to help him send a message; he could buy or steal a messenger hawk from some store, but he was pretty sure that would be more dangerous than it was worth. He decided that there was only one person he knew to rely on- Mai. He rose up to his feet, and listened out for the guards.</p><p>"I need to get to her house... right now." he acknowledged; sneaking around was going to be more dangerous, now that the guards were about.</p><p>He thought to himself what was more dangerous; the guards catching him, or his father finding out that he walked around the city at night by himself. Zuko decided that the latter was preferable, and took the mask he was wearing off, pulling his hair bands out of his pocket, allowing him to tie his hair back up into its usual phoenix-tail, before he placed his swords and mask down; he didn't need them, and he could pick them back up on his way back home. Reaching up to grasp the top of the wall, he pulled himself up, glancing over the top to check if anyone was there; the alleyway was empty, even if he could hear the guards in the distance.</p><p>He climbed over the wall, and began to pace down the alleyway, acting as if nothing was wrong; he approached the main street once more, and stepped out, noticing a few pedestrians on the street, as well as some guards. They looked his way, narrowing their eyes at him; given their cautious reactions, he was unsure whether they could recognise him. Prince Zuko was not an exceptional looking person, and outside of his royal robes, he probably looked like any other teenager.</p><p>He paced on down the street, casually walking along, and to his luck, the guards didn't move to question him; he continued along toward Mai's house, which he knew the directions to well. It didn't take him that long, given the streets were practically empty at that time of night, barring a few lone individuals pacing about; he wasn't concerned what they were doing, and only about whether the guards would be suspicious of him. he walked past some more, and they didn't bat an eye; Zuko sighed with relief, and continued walking to Mai's house, which he could see in the distance.</p><p>He first approached the gates of the house, before he climbed up onto the brick fence that surrounded the property; he then placed along the fence, moving slowly enough that he wouldn't make any loud, sudden noises, before he climbed up onto the lower portion of the roof, striding along toward Mai's window. He took a deep breath, before he knocked on the window. He heard rustling inside the room, before the window was opened up from the inside; Mai was holding a dagger in hand, nearly cutting Zuko's wrist as she reached out toward him. He created a flame in his hand, which revealed their faces to each other. Her eyes widened as they met his own, and she then straightened her expression; though she looked as stoic as ever, he could tell from her slightly pursed lips that she was confused by his presence.</p><p>"What are you doing here, Zuko?"</p><p>"I wouldn't have come if I had another choice." he acknowledged, "It's about Uncle."</p><p>"Oh." she mumbled, before she pulled the window completely open, "Come in." she simply requested of him.</p><p>Zuko obliged her, and stepped through the window, sitting himself down on the bedside table, while she moved to sit on her bed; she wiped her eyes before she looked at him, her glare serious, "What did you find out now?" she asked, the Prince gulping, afraid of what he had seen; he didn't know how she was going to react, but he pulled the scroll off of his belt, and handed it to her.</p><p>She opened up the scroll, and he sparked a new flame in his finger so she could see what she had in her hands; her eyes scanned down the scroll, and she didn't even seem to finish it, immediately placing it down on her bed beside her. Her eyes met his own, and he could tell that she was as nervous about it as he was.</p><p>"Okay, this is serious, Zuko." she acknowledged, before narrowing her eyes at him, "But why are you involving me?"</p><p>"I need to send a message to my uncle that Dad won't see." he clarified, "If he does, then... well, I don't know what he'd do to me, but it wouldn't be very nice."</p><p>"You want me to send the message." she realised, before turning around to look at her bedroom door, "I can do that, Zuko, but we're going to have to be really quiet." she acknowledged, before turning her gaze back to the scroll, "We're going to show this to somebody. What your father's doing is treason."</p><p>"I- uh- have a better idea." he admitted, knowing that the scroll was a weapon he had against his father, and he shouldn't so quickly dispense of it.</p><p>"You want to keep it?" she asked him, the Prince shaking his head.</p><p>"No, but I need somebody to have it. Somebody my father can't reach." he acknowledged, "Somebody I can trust to send it to the military, in case my father acts against me, with some added evidence, and use it against my father- a way to blackmail him into complying with what I want."</p><p>She pursed her lips upward, smirking slightly; he deduced she must have been impressed by his idea, "Well, Zuko, I think I know who can help us right now... once you get that 'evidence' you say you have."</p><p>"Oh." his eyes widened, surprised by her revelation, "You do?"</p><p>"She's a good friend of mine."</p><hr/><p>The windchill was getting on Azula's nerves; despite the campfire in front of her and her Imperial Firebenders, the altitude of the Eastern Air Temple posed some problems, especially given that it was an exceptionally windy evening. Unlike in the Northern Air Temple, they didn't have the benefit of the Mechanist's heating system, and thus, were sitting in an abandoned hall, warming themselves up with fire they were able to start by collecting broken furniture and stray branches. The Princess and her men had arrived earlier that afternoon, and had already investigated a large portion of the temple, but given its size, she decided that it would be better for them to stay the night and continue their search in the morning.</p><p>She knew that she could probably go off and try to find some scrolls while her men got the rest they needed, but she felt that it would just be a waste of time. She was tired, and it was cold; she was getting pretty close to just giving up and going into her sleeping roll, which she hadn't slept in since they travelled to the Western Air Temple. She knew that it was made of quality material, and was quite warm, but sleeping in that on the cold stone floor of an Air Temple could never be enjoyable. She could have ordered the group to climb back down to their tank-train which was located by the base of the mountain, but she knew that would just waste their time and energy, despite the longing she had for the proper bedding that lay inside it.</p><p>She was eating a small meal which had been pre-made for her by her cooks and back in her bag, and she could see that her guards were eyeing the food; they only had rather mediocre navy rations to eat, so she could understand why they were feeling jealous. A quick glare was all it took for them to turn their eyes away. She reached into her belt, and pulled out one of the scrolls that she had already found, tucked under an old decaying bed; it was somebody's personal writings, and even though she had expected it to be useless, she was instead surprised to find out some rather interesting things.</p><p>It was an Air Nomads ramblings, presumably a young teenager's, about their disdain toward the structure of their own society. Their issues had nothing to do with the ideology that the people themselves lived by, but rather, about how families were structured, or rather, were systematically destroyed; most Air Nomad children were given to the monks to raise, and thus, none of them knew their parents. Air Nomads could have had siblings, but never know who they were, even if they met the individuals themselves, and the same could be said for their parents. The writer of the document was lamenting this fact, and wished that they could have a closer connection to anymore that was more than friendship and mentorship.</p><p>Azula was surprised by how discontent the individual was about the issue, and wondered if other Air Nomads found it problematic; their entire society seemed to be structured around people not having families, but rather belonging to the polity of the Air Nomads as a whole. They were meant to not have any kinds of bonds with others that was stronger than friendship, which came about naturally, rather than being enforced by circumstance, which was how familial bonds worked.</p><p>She understood that, better than most; at times, she would wish she had had a better brother, though not in the sense that she wanted Zuko to be better at firebending. He was mean-spirited toward her, and had never wanted to have a positive relationship with her. Azula wasn't an idiot, however, and understood his reasons perfectly well. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and he had spited her ever since; she had wondered what her mother had been like, and all she really knew was from her uncle, given that Zuko only had fragmented memories, being so young when she died.</p><p>She thought it was unfair how he treated her, and ever since she had learned how to firebend, he had only grown colder. She was certain that his disdain was personal, given that he was happy and cheery with their uncle, or at least, as cheery as he could be. Azula could see how not having families could actually be useful; the kind of spite that Zuko held toward her, or the expectations her father held over both of them, wouldn't make any sense in such a society. They wouldn't know each other, at least not as kin, and they'd have no reason to treat each other any different from a person they met on the street; she certainly wouldn't want to meet her father on the street, however, knowing how coldly he treated everyone, unlike Zuko, who only reserved his hate for her.</p><p>"The Air Nomads weren't complete idiots." she mumbled under her breath, thinking what it might have been like to actually talk to one of them; of course, they might fear her, because of her bending and who she was.</p><p>She knew that the Avatar was the last of their people, and even though they hadn't been seen in a hundred years, they had to be somewhere. Azula was sure of that, and that was why she was investigating every Air Temple for signs of life and inhabitation. She had failed to find any evidence at the Western Air Temple, and she doubted it would be possible to discern the difference between markings of habitation by the Earth Kingdom refugees at the Northern Air Temple, and that from the Avatar, if they had been there at some point. Her dinner did not distract her from the place they were in, and what she had seen; the Eastern Air Temple was uninhabited like the Westesrn one, and did not show any evidence, at least yet, of somebody living there.</p><p>She heard a shout, suddenly, in the distance, and she immediately counted the numbers around the campfire; there were two guards missing, and she had no idea what would make them shout. She presumed perhaps they'd walked into some corpses while walking around the halls, but none of her men had reacted in such a manner about skeletons before. She rose up to her feet, and lit a torch on the tip of her finger, which lit up the room a little better than the dim campfire she had been sitting beside.</p><p>When the guards appeared out of the doorway, with fearful looks on their faces, she couldn't help but snarl; they seemed perfectly fine, so she couldn't comprehend why they were shouting, "Why in the name of the spirits are you shouting?"</p><p>"Y-y-your highness." one of them stepped forward to address her, "The statues."</p><p>"What about the statues?" she raised a brow, "You didn't think one of them was a real Air Nomad trying to kill you, did you? Are you all that superstitious?" she almost scoffed, the two guards shaking their heads.</p><p>"N-no, Princess, that's not why we shouted." the other guard clarified, "Their eyes and tattoo... they're glowing."</p><p>"Sorry, what?" she narrowed her eyes at the two guards, utterly confused by what they meant; statues didn't usually glow, and she hadn't seen anything like that at the Air Temples they had already been to, nor had her scrolls mentioned it, "What do you mean glowing?"</p><p>"Follow me." one of them told her, the Princess rolling her eyes.</p><p>"You don't give me orders." she snarled at him, the guard raising his hand.</p><p>"I can show you. They're still glowing, I think." he explained, the Princess deciding that, given her interest in wanting to learn about the Air Nomads, that she ought to investigate this unusual occurrence.</p><p>She gestured for some other guards to follow her as the two guards led her through the doorway, taking her down a short hallway, before they came out to an atrium, presumably where the Air Nomads would meditate and socialise. And when she turned her head around, she saw it; a giant statue was glowing, or more specifically, its eyes and the tattoos on its body. It was the statue of a woman, which made sense, given that the Eastern Air Temple housed only women. She noticed how bright the glowing was, and immediately understood it could be natural; it had to be of a spiritual origin.</p><p>She glanced around, and noticed some other smaller statues, whose eyes weren't glowing, although there was another large statue on the opposite side of the room that glowed, "Who are these statues-" she began to ask, before she realised the answer was obvious, "Air Nomad Avatars." she concluded, before she turned around to face her guards, "My grandfather's notes spoke of the connection between the Avatar and their past lives, including effigies of them."</p><p>"You mean to say... the Avatar has reappeared?" one of her guards asked her, the Princess raising her hand.</p><p>"I didn't ask for your opinion." she snarled at them, before taking a deep breath, realising that she was so much closer to achieving her goal than she had first believed, "This is what I have been waiting for. Do we have a messenger hawk with us?"</p><p>"Yes, your highness." one of them nodded, "Do you need to send a letter?"</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, "I need to know from the Fire Sages at once if my assumptions are true." she acknowledged, "And I need to ask my uncle for any information that appears about the Avatar to come right to our ship."</p><p>"We only have one messenger hawk, your highness." the guard clarified, making her sigh; it was rather obvious what to do, so it seemed that she would have to do all of the planning.</p><p>"We can send both messages to our ship, which is close by, and another message inside to request the crew to send the messages to both my uncle and the Fire Sages." she explained, before clearing her throat, seeing that everyone was just standing there, as if they didn't know what to do, "Get me some paper and a brush!" she commanded, one of the guards dashing off to do just that.</p><p>She turned around to face one of the glowing statues, and couldn't help but smirk; she was lucky, she knew that, and this was just proof of it. The Avatar had come out of hiding, for whatever reason, and she would be poised to capture them. The Fire Nation's greatest enemy had just signed away their fate, and she would be the one to take it.</p><p>"You're mine, Avatar."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. A Duty to Protect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>The Dragon of the West was experienced when it came to the things one might see when fighting in a war, but he would admit, the Siege of Ba Sing Se had been exceptionally brutal; he did not image it taking over a year to even get close to breaching the outer wall, given the massive resistance the Earth Kingdom put up. But now, after a week of fighting across the Agrarian Sector, he had finally reached his goal, the Inner Wall; they had been hammering away at the walls with artillery, and unlike their counterparts further out, they were barely manned with defenders. Perhaps that was indicative of how many people had died; how many people's deaths he himself was responsible, even if he rarely used his bending to fight other men.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Fire Lord, his father, had sent him a letter of congratulations after word of the breaching of the Outer Wall had occurred, and back then, Iroh felt confident that the battle would be over within a few days. But it wasn't, and now, he was starting to realise what he was doing. He understood why he was conquering Ba Sing Se, as he had to end the war with the Earth Kingdom, but he didn't understand why his enemy was resisting so much. Now, he did, and he was starting to second-guess himself. He'd seen the bodies mount up, quite literally, and he had not looked away; he understood what he had done, and he couldn't regret it. He had spent all that time fighting, and despite all the deaths, he was about to attain victory. The victory he had dreamed of since his youth. It was meant to be glorious, but now all he could see ahead of him was ashes.</em>
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  <em>"Father, we've got to keep moving." he heard his son speak up, drawing him out of his trance; he had just been standing, looking out over the battlefield that was once the Inner Wall. The enemy were cleared out, and obviously had moved deeper into the city.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know, Lu Ten." he nodded, turning to face him, "We need to restrain ourselves. If we push too deep into the city, the Earth Kingdom's forces will swallow us whole." he noted the danger that awaited them as they pushed through the Lower Ring.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What are we going to do, Father?" he asked him, the General narrowing his gaze at his young son; the battle had been tough on him, and that was visible not just in the cuts and bruises inflicted on his body from being thrown around while fighting, but the scraggly beard he had grown as well, almost looking like his own.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Prince had returned to his side to oversee the final stage of the siege, and now they were to take the city together, as father and son; he was intimidated, perhaps a little afraid, of what he was about to do. He had achieved many great feats in his career, but conquering Ba Sing Se had been the task that had required the most effort and time on his behalf. It had cost Lu Ten and Iroh a year of their lives, and he knew that it could not go to waste; they had to continue, and they would.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Let's move." he decided, before he whistled on his guards, "We're moving in, now!" he ordered them, one of the many soldiers he had under his command stepping forward.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My general, do you need us to send out the command to advance?" he asked him, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation giving an affirmative nod; they could not waste any more time mulling over their plans or their prior actions- victory could only come from being decisive.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I do. Go quickly. We mustn't give the enemy time to plan a defence. Our victory must be swift, or we will lose more lives needlessly." he declared; he didn't want to lose any more men, not after all they'd been through.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A few casualties were inevitable, but Iroh knew that every man that died was someone who had willingly joined their nation's armed forces, and come to the battle, knowing full well what they were to face; he wanted to honour them, and make sure his leadership was not going to lead to further anguish. His victory was not just for himself, but for every man who fought under his command; their sacrifices would not be in vain once the palace was theirs and the Earth King's forces were expunged.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>They were only at the Inner Wall, and it would be a long march through the city, not even considering the fighting they'd have to do to get to the Earth King's Palace, located in the centre of the city, behind another two sets of walls. Iroh kept his breath steady, and approached his komodo rhino, which he would be riding as he led his forces deeper into the city. Lu Ten did the same, and the two of them mounted their steeds, before moving in, the General's Imperial Firebenders taking formation around them, ready to protect him from any threat that came their way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As they made their way down the street, he could see civilians running away, or cowering inside buildings, not daring to go onto the street; they were not there to pillage their homes or take away the little livelihoods they had. The Fire Nation was there to end the war, and they would do it; Iroh might have said he was proud to be doing it himself, but he felt a little unsure. The war had taken a toll on both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, and now that his country controlled most of the former, he could see that there would be problems ahead for their countries. He could only hope that with the defeat at Ba Sing Se, the other nations would finally lay down their arms against his own, and with that, they could have the age of peace and prosperity Fire Lord Sozin had desired.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father, they're... they're afraid of what we might do." Lu Ten acknowledged what they could both see, the Dragon of the West making a small smile at his son.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My son, we won't be here to harm them, or take away their homes. We are liberating them from the rule of their oppressors. Their lies will live no longer once these walls are torn down." he assured him, even if he didn't really believe what he was saying himself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knew that the Earth Kingdom's government had draconian laws and systems, but his own country wasn't very pretty either, even if they had nothing as extreme as the Dai Li; the people of his country had no reason to doubt the very existence of the war. Of course, they had lots of propaganda, the kind that he didn't like to hear from his men, but he knew that in Ba Sing Se it had to be even worse. He had seen the flyers the Dai Li were handing out to the citizens, spreading lies about the Fire Nation, and what they sought to do. They made it sound like they were about to burn the city to the ground, when that couldn't be further from the truth; he had come to conquer the city, not destroy it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, he heard the sound of cracking and crumbling, and with it, the ground shaking, "Earthbenders!" he heard one of the soldiers ahead of them shout out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh knew what they had to do, and didn't waste a second to shout his sole command, "Take defensive positions!" he called on his men, knowing that even if everything around them was made of stone, the earthbenders could only move and destroy so much at once; once they had gotten rid of their own cover, the enemy would be open for attack.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He pulled on the reins of his komodo rhino, and immediately pulled to make it move to the left, so that he could take cover by a street-corner; he knew that remaining in the direct line of fire was dangerous for any soldier, so he would take cover, and hopefully, once the enemy had pushed close enough, they would reveal their own weaknesses. He dismounted his komodo rhino and glanced down the street, seeing a few more of his men, moving into defensive positions as earthbenders broke the street apart to use it as their weapon.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father, we need to help them!" Lu Ten demanded, making the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation raise a hand up; he did not want to rush into his attack, without properly considering the threat they faced.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Neutral jing, my son. Neutral jing is our weapon here. Earthbenders usually like to use it, but the ones here seem to be far more on the positive jing side today; that is our weapon against them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His son, seeming a little impatient, narrowed his eyes, before leaping off of his komodo rhino, drawing out daggers of fire from his closed fists, "And our flames."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not just flames, Prince Lu Ten." he warned his son, taking a few deep breaths as he readied himself for what he would have to do; he had the strength to overcome his enemies, and he would do just that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His firebending was powerful, and he was ready to send lightning bolts through their walls of stone, just as he had trained himself to do; his men respected him, and thought him to be a jovial man, and even if he was, that was not all the Dragon of the West was. He would fight with the fury and power of a dragon, just like his epithet, and he would never give up without expending all other options.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He trusted in his son's bending too; he wasn't as much of a natural as his niece or his father, but he had worked hard on his forms and endurance, to the point at which he was perhaps even better at holding his fire at strength than Iroh himself. He knew of no other who could achieve sustained flight with their firebending, though he guessed that Ozai could, given his obsession training his element.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He moved from the cover they had taken, and noted that there were a number of earthbending soldiers, all moving in a wedge formation down the street, the frontmost soldiers creating walls to defend themselves from their firebending, while the ones further back send out boulders to take pot shots at the covering Fire Nation soldiers, most of whom were safe, at least for that moment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He narrowed his eyes before taking a deep breath; first he thrust his fist forward, creating a massive stream of flames, which despite its size, was really only to blind his opponents. Taking advantage of that, and the fact he remembered where the centre of their wedge was, he was able to bring the sparks amongst his fingers, spinning them around in a circular motion to charge his chi, centered in his gut, before he flicked his left hand out, firing a lightning bolt at the enemy's defences, which he still couldn't see, as his flames had yet to subside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The sound of the explosion and cries from the enemy were a good sign, and he then began his assault, his Imperial Firebenders joining in as he took a common, simple firebending form. He charged a jet on the sole of his right foot, and swung his leg up, creating a stream of flames, far more concentrated than the last one. The stream burned through whatever defences that remained, breaking apart the rock, mostly formed from cobble on the street, which meant it was rather brittle to begin with. He then moved forward in sync with his guards, sending out short bolts of fire, which struck at the extremities of the earthbenders who remained in position; they either moved back, or were struck down. The point was, their moves were very effective, and the General cocked a smirk, proud of what he had done.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, he felt his feet sink into the ground, and his eyes widened with fear, realising that he hadn't actually gotten rid of all their enemies. He glanced up to the rooftops, where he could see a number of Earth Kingdom soldiers, wearing cloaks and conical hats; perhaps they were actually Dai Li agents, though he couldn't get a very good look at them as he threw fireballs their way, trying to prevent them from knocking him out or worse. Bricks were shot his way, and though he was able to cut most of them up with thin, concentrated fire streams, his defensive maneuvers weren't foolproof, and a brick struck him in the shoulder; he was luckier than some of his guards, who had bricks hit their helmets or legs, and forced them down to the ground, where the earthbenders could literally make the street swallow them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He slumped down, groaning with pain, and a moment later he heard not a shout, but the sound of wind; well, it actually wasn't wind, but the sound of air being heated up as his son charged forward, bending walls of flames in every direction around him and his guards, protecting them from the enemy soldiers. He realised it wasn't a wall of flames as he looked up, witnessing the fire as it towered up above him, curling around in a vortex- a tornado of flames. It was what Ran and Shaw had shown him; what he had decided to show Lu Ten, when he was old enough to understand it. There was no sound of screams or shouts, but simply the hot air whipping around, as the multicoloured flames reached up above the multistory buildings, presumably throwing the enemy back and away; perhaps it was the closest thing to airbending to grace the earth in the past hundred years, sadly enough. It was beautiful, that was all he knew, and his son wielded it as his instrument.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Dad!" he heard his son cry out, reaching to grasp him by his shoulder; Iroh groaned, aching from the brick that had him, and realised despite the defeat of the earthbenders, his feet were still stuck in place, "Sorry, this might be a little hot." he warned his father, who nodded, letting Lu Ten carve his flame daggers into the ground around his feet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Quickly enough he got him free of his bounds, and dragged the injured General back as the Imperial Firebenders quickly moved into defensive positions, pushing back the remaining earthbenders on ground level. As the young prince and his father reached cover once more, he looked at Iroh with a fearful face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you alright, Dad?" he asked him, the Crown Prince nodding, despite the pain; he had experienced worse- he'd probably just be bruised a little.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm fine, Lu Ten." he stressed, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, before he glanced over to his left, wondering how his men were doing; there was no shouting, only the sound of feet pattering, which suggested they were running toward the enemy- neutral jing had worked, it seemed, and now it was time for positive jing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That looked like it hurt." he simply told him, "I couldn't... I couldn't hold back then. I wanted to get angry, I really did." he admitted, the Dragon of the West smiling at his son; he was better than him in many different ways, despite the life they both lived, and the things they were doing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you did." he assured him, "You did well, my son. That firebending was beautiful."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It saved your life, Dad." he clarified the more important part of what had happened, before looking at him with fear, "Are you getting delirious on me?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ask me a question to prove it?" he suggested, the young prince narrowing his eyes at his father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What tea are we drinking after this battle?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Earth King's finest." he assured him, making the Prince chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, you're fine." he sighed, before rising up to his feet, "Do you want me to do the rounds and make sure the men don't go too far ahead?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That would be very helpful." he nodded, "I've just got to catch my breath here. I'll only be a minute."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lu Ten narrowed his eyes at him, almost suspicious of him, "You better. You're the one winning this siege, not me."</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Your majesty, a message has arrived from the capital."</p><p>The Fire Lord raised a brow, realising that one of his guards had addressed him; he wouldn't dare enter Iroh's bedroom, so he spoke at the door. He rose to his feet, out of his crossed-leg position, as he had been meditating, wanting to relax before he went to bed. He sighed, knowing that news from the capital could only be frustrations to his journey; he just wanted to go to Omashu, meet his friend, King Bumi, and enjoy a good cup of tea with the old man. He was a wise fellow, and he thought, given his many years of experience as a ruler, could provide Iroh with some advice, especially given the news he had received about his brother from Zuko.</p><p>He wanted to burn down the Earth Kingdom, purportedly, something that could only be possible with the power of Sozin's Comet; he shook his head, knowing that that moment was not the right time to be thinking of his brother's plans- they were so unlikely to come fruition that they were almost laughable, if not for the actual physical carnage that would come about from its success. It was the kind of thing that made him wish his father had been a better one; perhaps then Ozai wouldn't have turned out to be the despicable man he was- the kind of man that could come up with such a plan.</p><p>Iroh approached the door, and pulled it slightly ajar, eyeing the Imperial Firebender who had come to the room with whatever letter had arrived, "What is the marking?"</p><p>"It's not military, civil or diplomatic, sir. This is a personal letter."</p><p>"Does it remain sealed?" he asked, the guard handing him the letter; he could see it for himself- nobody had opened it up.</p><p>"Perhaps somebody has sent this old man a love letter." he chuckled to himself, his guard letting out a little snicker; he smiled at the guard, before clearing his throat, "I'll read this now. Thank you for bringing it to me at once."</p><p>"It is my honour, your majesty." the Imperial Firebender assured him, bowing before Iroh closed the door shut.</p><p>He glanced at the letter, seeing his name marked on the front; it was unusual for a letter to be sent to him with his first name on it, given that he had some well known titles that most people would refer to him as. Even Azula wouldn't dare to call him by his first name; she'd write 'Uncle' on a letter, if not his title, 'Fire Lord'. He strode over to the desk, and pulled out a knife, which he used to cut through the stamp that held the rolled up letter together. Once it was out of the way, he unfurled the letter, and sat down at his desk, knowing that he ought to take care to read the letter correctly; he lit the candle beside it, making the characters clearer to him, so he could see what was written before him.</p><p>The first words, just by themselves, were a little unnerving to read out loud, "If you want to continue on in the world of the living, take the contents of this letter seriously, Fire Lord Iroh."</p><p>"By the spirits." he mumbled, before scanning down, reading the rest in his head.</p><p>"A letter was uncovered, intended to be sent to some unknown assailants, who have been hired to kill you. This was orchestrated by your brother, Prince Ozai. He wrote the letter himself, and I have been assured by a close contact that this was certainly the case. He has sent some men to kill you, disguised as Earth Kingdom soldiers, to undertake an assassination attempt that can be utilised by your brother against you. Please, if you have not yet been attacked, hasten yourself, take a steamer and leave your Royal Barge behind. People are looking out for you, your majesty, and they want you to win." he read it out, Iroh's eyes widening with shock; he didn't expect the Order of the White Lotus to be covering him so well, to the point where they could quickly uncover his brother's plot.</p><p>He realised however, that it was not someone in the Order that wrote the letter as he saw the signature, "Lady Mai, daughter of Michi and Ukano." he read her name out loud; he knew exactly who that was, and it sent a shiver down his spine.</p><p>"Zuko- Zuko was the one who found him out." he whispered under his breath, his breathing becoming erratic, "Zuko." he mumbled his nephew's name, "No, Zuko, you're..." he couldn't finish the sentence; the danger his nephew was putting himself in, was beyond insane.</p><p>If Ozai knew what he had done, before Iroh returned, he could be killed by his father; he knew that his brother was capable of it, given how much he desired the throne. He would not stand for what his son had done, in completely revealing his plot, which if his brother had anything to say about it, would not occur, not yet. If Iroh suggested that he knew anything about it before he was in the Fire Nation Capital, he'd know to blame Zuko; he was the only one with the motivation and the access to inform the Fire Lord of what had happened.</p><p>"I have to go." he rose up to his feet, "I have to go now." he told himself, knowing that he mightn't do it otherwise if he didn't say it out loud.</p><p>Part of Iroh wanted to turn his Royal Barge around and sail back to the capital, challenge Ozai to an Agni Kai, no matter the consequences; he could kill him, but he didn't care at that point. The guilt he might feel from killing his own brother was nothing compared to the guilt of having Zuko's blood on his hands. He could have told Zuko to stop investigating his father; he could have even sent him away, to go join his sister, so that at the very least he'd be safe. Azula could protect him, even if neither of them would want that. He knew that the safest option would be to leave on the steamer, as the letter told him to; he could sail to one of the Fire Nation's many outer islands, and hopefully shake off his pursuers there.</p><p>Suddenly, before he could even get his armour on, he felt the ship shake violently, and heard a loud explosion, though the steel walls muffled the sound; his eyes widened, realising that the letter had come too late, "They're already here."</p><p>The Fire Lord rolled up the scroll, and put into his robes, knowing that he might need the evidence at a future time. He then rushed for the door, not having any time to waste putting on his armour or packing a bag; the assassins were there, and he assumed they were going to send his ship to the bottom of the sea. He had to stop them, and save the crew of his ship; they were going to be collateral damage and he could not stand by and let them perish under his command. As he pushed the door open, his Imperial Firebenders immediately approached him, their rushed pace suggesting they were just as afraid as he was.</p><p>"Your majesty, get back to your room, please! We need to keep your safe!" one of them pleaded with him, Iroh pushing his palm onto his breastplate, before stepping past the guard.</p><p>"I just received a letter warning me of an assassination attempt. These people are going to sink the ship, and us with it." he explained to them, "Come with me! We need to stop them before they do too much damage!" he raised his voice, immediately taking a firebending form as he made his way down the hallway.</p><p>He needed to get to the engine, where he knew the explosion must have occurred; he didn't know what else they would attack first. He immediately made his way toward the staircase that would lead up toward the deck, but before they could reach it, another explosion rocked the ship, and the hallway in front of him was filled with flames as a door was thrown off of its handle.</p><p>"Get back!" he commanded his guards, before he spun his fingers around, sparks forming between his fingers; he had no time for caution, and when the assassin appeared, dressed as an Earth Kingdom soldier, just as he'd expected, he found himself struck in the chest and thrown through the hallway by a lightning bolt.</p><p>His Imperial Firebenders looked at him with awe, unable to say anything; the Dragon of the West did not lose his will to fight at Ba Sing Se, but simply his desire to fight for reasons that were not worth fighting for. Defending the people who served him loyally, perhaps to the point of dying in his name was good enough a reason.</p><p>"Get the servants and the crew! Get to the steamers right now, before they destroy them too!" he demanded, his guards nodding; he usually wouldn't be so worried, but everyone's lives were in danger, and it was his fault- he could have dealt with Ozai before anything went out of hand, and now, they were going to pay the price for his cowardice.</p><p>He made his way up the stairs, and looked out on the deck, where a few of the sailors, only armed with firebending or their bare hands, were facing off against the assassins, who must've already killed some of them, given the bodies he could see behind them. The Fire Lord thrust his fist forward, creating a massive stream of fire; he just hoped that the sea-water had splashed up on the deck and weakened the enemy's footing. He could use any advantage at that moment, given they were most likely outnumbered by the attackers.</p><p>"Get back!" he told the crew, who didn't dare refuse his command, before he took his firebending stance, charging up two fire blasts in each of his hands; the enemy stared him down, ready to do what they had been told to do- what they were probably going to get a lot of money for, it they succeeded.</p><p>"This is the one job you should have refused." he warned them, the attackers actually stepping back, making him believe for a moment they actually didn't think they could beat him.</p><p>Iroh realised this was a stupid thought to have as he saw a man standing on the pagoda superstructure of his ship; he mightn't have worried, but he could see his metal hand and the markings on his forehead. It was that man, the one everyone who knew anything about assassins knew about; he was one of the most notorious firebenders alive, and he could bend with his mind, not with his hands, making him extremely dangerous. The Fire Lord immediately dashed to the left, hoping to get out of the way of what he knew would be coming next.</p><p>The explosion was deafeningly loud, and the heat burned him, despite the robes he had on; Iroh was thrown to the ground, and he snarled. He was not Ozai, but he was fast enough; the Fire Lord didn't need to spin his hands around, but simply took his right hand, drawing it from his left, and generated another lightning bolt. Before the assassin could try and fire his way, he was thrown off of the pagoda, a part of which exploded due to the force of the bolt. He groaned with pain, and readied himself for what would inevitably come next; one of the assassins charged his way with a dagger in hand, ready to stab him to death.</p><p>"Bad idea." he warned him, before grasping his right hand, burning it with his fire bending; he cried out with pain, and the Fire Lord jabbed him in the chest, before he stepped back, raising a wall of flames between himself and the attackers.</p><p>He needed to get to the steamer if he wanted to make it out alive, and though it didn't seem to be sinking yet, he was sure the assassins would attempt to do just that before he could escape. He heard another explosion, and Iroh stumbled back, feeling the ship shake beneath him. Gritting his teeth, he began to draw back to the staircase, knowing he'd need to get to the rear of the ship, where the steamers could be accessed; he wasn't going to try his luck fighting through the assassins.</p><p>He leapt down into the staircase, where he knew he'd at least be able to hide from any further attacks. Suddenly, he was thrown forward, presumably by the assassin's 'mind-explosion-bending' which Iroh was both intrigued by and terrified of. He could see a few men dressed as Earth Kingdom soldiers down in the hallway, obviously ready to cut him off; the Fire Lord rolled his eyes, before charging a fireball in both of his hands, which grew to an impressive size with little time, before he shot it out, striking the men right off of their feet.</p><p>"Is anyone left in here?" he called out down the hallway, hoping that the crew had evacuated by that point; he didn't hear anyone, so, with that, he continued on down the hallway, racing past the men he'd just knocked down.</p><p>They looked pained, but they didn't try to get up and fight Iroh; perhaps they had realised their mistake. Ozai certainly must have played down his skills to get people willing to kill him, but obviously, he wasn't taking any chances by hiring the most notorious assassin in the Fire Nation to kill him- the rest of them were really just distractions. As he continued forward, he realised that the floor was wet, which was never a good sign; when he got to the next doorway, he realised that the ship was already sinking, rear-first, which frustrated Iroh's efforts, given that he needed to get to the rear of the ship to get in the steamer.</p><p>He turned around, and made his way toward another staircase, which would lead up to the pagoda; he hoped that the assassins weren't smart enough to block up the entrances, but he knew that they might. He was going to have to fight his way through, it seemed. The Fire Lord made his way up the stairs, and conjured a fire stream out of his right hand, blasting the doors wide open. An assassin leapt out of cover, standing poised to attack him with firebending, though Iroh was able to bend his flames away and trip him over with a well-aimed blast to his shins.</p><p>Charging up the staircase, he began to shoot out quick, well-paced bolts of flames from his fists, forcing the attackers back and giving him an opening to run through; he did just that, raising both his arms up to his sides to create two walls of flames, which rose up and pushed the enemies back. He glanced behind him, and saw that the mind-bending assassin was once again ready to attack him, which meant Iroh needed to take cover; he dove behind an exhaust shaft of the engine, and grit his teeth. The explosion made his ears ring out, and the Fire Lord blacked out for a few moments; he tried to reach around to raise himself back up, but accidentally burnt his left hand on what had to be a heated fragment of the engine.</p><p>"Argh!" he cried out, clasping his left hand with his right, his vision blurred as he tried to keep a grip on his senses; he was struggling, but he could hear voices nearby, and their words relieved him somewhat.</p><p>"Your majesty!" he heard one of his guards call out to him, though Iroh's eyes widened with fear as he saw two of his men get thrown off their feet by another attack from the mind-bending assassin.</p><p>He grimaced at what he saw, but didn't dare close his eyes yet; they weren't safe until they escaped the Royal Barge and left the assassins behind. He pulled himself up and threw his right hand back, creating a wave of fire, hoping to keep the assassins at bay for just a few more moments.</p><p>"We need to get to the steamer!" he commanded his guards, who took formation around him, protecting the Fire Lord as he moved down toward the vessel; he was suddenly thrown down when another explosion hit them.</p><p>Iroh grunted in pain as he was slammed down onto the deck, but he was able to get up, grasping one of his guards by the shoulder, prodding him to get over to the steamer, which was just in front of them; he could see the worried looks on the crews' faces, and he understood their fears. The Dragon of the West turned around, and opened his mouth wide, breathing out a massive stream of fire, which at the very least would blind his enemies while the guards drew back to the steamer. He leapt on it after them, his knees buckling as he landed on the deck of the small ship. He groaned with pain, realising how much the explosions had taken a toll on his senses and ability to even move around properly. He gestured up toward the enemy.</p><p>"Fire! We need to distract them!" he commanded his men, who did just that, sending out streams of fire in synchronisation; the attacks worked well enough, and a few moments later, he was able to sigh with relief as the steamer set off at full speed, moving away from the Royal Barge.</p><p>The Fire Lord laid himself down on the deck, grasping at his left hand, his burns still painfully raw; he couldn't use that hand for much, he assumed, but at the very least they were safe. One of his Imperial Firebenders knelt down beside him, taking off his helmet and looked at the injured monarch with a sympathetic face.</p><p>"Sir, where are you hurt?"</p><p>"Just my hand and back. Burns." he almost whispered, before raising his right hand to his face, "We need to get to land."</p><p>"I'm sorry, your majesty, but we're quite far from the Earth Kingdom still." one of the crew members explained, the Fire Lord sighing.</p><p>"As long as we can get there, that's what matters." he acknowledged, before turning his head to the side; perhaps he could get a little rest lying there on the deck, even if it wasn't that comfortable.</p><p>"Why- why did they do this?" one of his guards spoke up, "They were dressed like they were Earth Kingdom, but those men were clearly firebenders."</p><p>The Dragon of the West looked up at his men, and knew that he couldn't explain what Ozai had done; if his brother was to eventually find out he already understood his guilt, then Zuko's life would be in danger. He would just have to act like the attack was random, or plotted by a secretive group against him; like the White Lotus, though obviously, not them. He knew that he could not let his brother abuse the situation, but just the same, he needed to avoid him and anyone working for him. They would try to kill him again, even if it wasn't the same individuals; there was no telling where would be safe, though he knew one thing- getting to Bumi and contacting the Order was his safest bet at making it out alive.</p><p>"I don't think... I don't think that question should be answered yet."</p><hr/><p>"Come on, show us the trick!"</p><p>Ty Lee rolled her eyes; she was tired after a day of shows, and really didn't want to appease her friends, but they all knew she was a great acrobat. She'd been showing off her skills for months now, and they all wanted to see something she didn't usually do at the circus shows; that was, of course, her chi-blocking. When she'd had to save her friend Mung, who was one of the strongmen at the circus, ironically enough, from getting mugged the night prior, she was forced to use her skills; she hadn't really worked on them that much since she left the Fire Nation Capital. It was with Azula and Mai that she usually practiced them, and without anyone to spar with, nor a reason to do so, she rarely used it. Naturally, Mung had told the others, and now as they sat around the campfire, they were all demanding to see her moves.</p><p>"Come on, please. Ty, you've got to show us how it goes. Mung said you made him drop like he was made of sticks." Wei asked of her, her voice pleading, "That sounds so cool!"</p><p>"I know it's cool." she crossed her arms, "I haven't done it in ages... and honestly, it's kind of dangerous." she admitted, knowing that she could inadvertently hurt whoever she hit- falling over could be rather dangerous, depending on where one was.</p><p>"Yeah, no wonder!" Su exclaimed, heartily laughing at her comment, "If you can beat up a guy who's even tougher looking than Mung with just your fingers, that's gotta be the definition of dangerous." he added, obviously amused by the idea of her being 'stronger' than the strongman.</p><p>"I'm tough, but I never trained to fight. You guys get that, right?" Mung asked the other performers, who looked at him with disbelieving faces.</p><p>"Yeah, right." Zuting skeptically narrowed her eyes at him, "You look like you could beat a komodo rhino in a wrestling match."</p><p>He crossed his arms, "Come on, Ty Lee. Please, just show them the moves so they stop thinking I'm incapable." he pleaded with her, the acrobat sighing, placing her hand over her forehead.</p><p>"Okay, fine." she conceded to their demands, everyone around the campfire cheering her on; she rose to her feet, and glanced around, realising that she didn't actually have a target yet, "Who wants to be chi-blocked?"</p><p>Su rose up, gesturing for her to approach him, "Try me."</p><p>"So, do you even know how to fight?" she asked him, unsure whether the stunt climber was actually any good at defending himself.</p><p>"Uh... I took a few self-defence lessons back at school." he assured her, before cringing, "But, I don't expect to be able to win."</p><p>"Win?" she almost laughed, before cartwheeling toward him; she didn't even hit up, just prodding him into stepping back, surprised by her speed.</p><p>She swung her foot out low, striking his own, and tripping him over; he was quick enough to react and land on his hand, jumping back up to his feet. She sent a few jabs his way, though he surprisingly was able to weave out of the way. He faltered however when he tried to tackle her, and instead, she dropped her hands, jabbing him in the abdomen; his legs faltered as his chi-paths were blocked, and he fell down, nearly flat on his face.</p><p>"You can't beat chi-blocking, Su." she simply told him, the stunt climber grunting as he struggled to pull himself up without any use of his legs.</p><p>"Oh... that looked like it hurt." Zuting cringed, Su shaking his head as he turned to look up at Ty Lee.</p><p>"That didn't hurt at all... but my legs don't work." he noted, the acrobat cocking her chin up.</p><p>"That's the jist of it, really. I'm able to stop bending too, but you're not a bender, so it doesn't really matter for you where I hit." she explained, the other performers cheering her on.</p><p>"That was great!" Wei raised her fists, "How many people can you beat at once with that?"</p><p>"I don't know, honestly. Last time I got into a proper fight with it, I was only going against one person." she conceded, knowing that she wouldn't count Mai and Azula as ordinary opponents; she couldn't beat them easily because they were well aware and attuned to her skill, and thus, knew how to avoid it, which wasn't hard, given both of them prioritised ranged fighting.</p><p>"Ty Lee." she heard Shuzumu, the manager of the circus, speak up, the acrobat turning around to see him with a wrapped scroll in his hand, walking up toward the campfire where they were sitting, "You've got a message."</p><p>"A message for me?"</p><p>"Maybe it's a love letter." Su joked, making her turn around to glare at him.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure I don't have any stalkers." she stated her belief on the matter; of course, boys loved her, but she knew that nobody was dedicated enough to start sending her love letters, "Is it from my parents? I thought they didn't know where I was." she asked the circus manager, who shook his head.</p><p>"I don't think it's them." he clarified, Ty Lee approaching him, "The outside is unmarked, though the bindings are good. Somebody rich sent this." he simply observed, the acrobat nodding, intrigued by the idea that somebody was messaging her.</p><p>Shuzumu handed it to her, and she furrowed a brow, deciding to walk over to her tent, where she'd have a little privacy to read it; it wasn't far away, and as soon as she was inside, she reached through her little travelling box, pulling out the box of matches she had at hand. She then sparked a match, the light allowing her to see inside her tent, before she lit the candle she had sitting beside the box, which she'd usually use if she was reading anything at nighttime. She didn't mind buying books from time to time, given that it was a good pastime to keep up; she could both learn and waste time, knowing that she needed the former and wanted the latter.</p><p>She then turned her gaze to the scroll, which was marked by a wax seal; it was simply the Fire Nation's seal, which was like almost every single letter coming from her country. Some people could afford personal designs on their seals, but most just opted for the same old flame. She broke the seal, and opened the covering for the scroll, which made her immediately realise that it wasn't one piece of parchment, but three.</p><p>Her gaze turned to the first of the three, which was rather unusual for her to see; it seemed to be a letter addressed by Prince Ozai, her friend's father, to some military official in the colonies. She raised a brow, somewhat confused why she had been sent a letter not even addressed to her; perhaps she was being sent something by Azula, though she had no idea why she would send something so random. The content didn't seem very relevant either, but when she pulled the next piece of paper out, she immediately felt afraid upon reading the first few lines. It wasn't just any old letter, but a message commanding someone to kill Fire Lord Iroh, her friend's uncle. The more of it she read, the more nervous she became; Ty Lee had no idea why was she being sent something so dangerous.</p><p>"What is this?" she mumbled, before turning her eyes down to the bottom of the text, realising that the assassination letter had no sender; it only took her a few moments of looking at the handwriting on the first letter she had read and the second to realise they were both written by the same person- Azula's father, "Oh shit."</p><p>That was all she could say, or at least, all she could think of saying after realising that. She turned her gaze back down, and pulled out the last of the three scrolls, which unlike the others was directly addressed to her.</p><p>"Ty Lee, if you've received this, that means that nobody intercepted our messages. That is good, because it means there's a chance that the Fire Lord is alright." she read it out loud, her eyes widening; she had no idea why she was being sent something concerning a plot against the life of the Fire Lord.</p><p>Scanning down, she saw who the sender was, and the same made her feel a little calmer, "Mai." she mumbled her name, before returning to reading out the document.</p><p>"You are the only person we can trust with this information. If Ozai found out that we had these documents, he would have us killed. given your distance and isolation from the affairs of the capital, I decided these documents had to be sent to you. I know it's a danger for them to be in your hands, but I can trust you to do the right thing; you always do." she read it out, smiling at her friend's words; Mai might have not usually expressed her emotions, but she certainly trusted her, and that was something that made her happy, "If the Fire Lord is killed, Zuko will use the threat of these documents to ensure that he can keep his father in line. If he is to disappear or be declared dead, you are to immediately mail these documents, excluding this letter, to the closest Fire Nation military base, preferably with a high-ranking officer."</p><p>"I've got to-" she mumbled, before her eyes widened, realising what the document was saying, "Ozai might kill Zuko?!" she almost exclaimed, covering her own mouth to quieten herself.</p><p>"Please write a letter that tells them the following: Ozai has been plotted to take the life of his brother, Fire Lord Iroh, and seize the throne for himself. He has committed treason, and these letters are proof of his crimes; he has written both of them, and has explicitly hired individuals to hunt down and kill the Fire Lord." she read out the remaining portion of the letter, before noting there was one last line at the bottom, past her friend's name, "Good luck, Ty Lee. Please stay safe."</p><p>She looked up and gasped, unsure what to do, or say; there was nobody to say anything to. Her mind immediately turned to the Princess, who was not mentioned in the letter. She didn't know where she was, but she assumed that because she wasn't in on Mai and Zuko's plan, she had to be out of the capital. She rose up to her feet, and wondered if anybody knew where she was; Azula probably didn't want her uncle to die, and if she could find her and tell her what Mai had, then maybe she could make a difference and stop her father from doing whatever he had planned. She knew he wasn't a good man; her friend had even told her that herself, though she didn't seem that concerned about it. The Princess would be now, now that her uncle's life was on the line because of her father's plans.</p><p>"Where are you, Zula?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Roles We Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>The bright blue fire stream that bellowed out of Azula's fist, lighting up the entire courtyard the same hue as her flames, was truly a sight to behold. Prince Ozai knew that his daughter was truly gifted when it came to her firebending; even though she was only twelve years old, she was probably the most impressive firebender in the palace, barring himself, though he didn't tend to brag about his bending abilities. He did not need to- people understood his power, even if his father took little notice of it. Fire Lord Azulon was an old, foolish man, and his ignorance of Azula's abilities, just as he had been of Ozai's own was something that frustrated him greatly. She was meant for greatness, and he wanted her to achieve her destiny; she would be his heir, and she would serve him as the most prodigious firebender in a generation.</em>
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  <em>He stood there silently for a few moments, as his daughter returned to form, her steely glare meeting his own; she was trying to scan him, to see what he thought about her bending. He decided to let her know with two claps; that was all he would spare for her- she had yet to show him anything new, but simply reaffirmed his belief in her skills. Soon enough, she would master lightning generation as well, and within a few years, she would be more than capable to go to the front-lines, and serve her country; he knew that she would like to do that, and she would be more than capable of hunting down the enemies of their nation, both from outside and within.</em>
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  <em>He turned his gaze over to his son, who was still kneeling behind him, having watched his sister's bending display; it was his turn, and without even having to tell him to do so, he stood up. At the very least, his son was obedient, though he knew that was an oversimplification. His son mightn't have been as forward to oppose him, but Ozai understood that he was spiteful toward him. That was good; he knew that Zuko was still useful, despite his relative mediocrity as a firebender; he wasn't an idiot, and he was sure that his wits could be used as much as his daughter's ferocity.</em>
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  <em>"Azula, please sit." he requested of his daughter, "Your brother has to show his forms."</em>
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  <em>She heeded his command, and eyed her brother as she walked past him, moving out into the courtyard; Zuko sneered, and Ozai pursed his lips upward. The more he despised his sister, the more anger would boil away inside of him; he couldn't beat her, and he probably never could. However, despite that, Zuko was not a weakling, not in the same way the Prince's brother was; he lacked the same drive and ruthlessness as his sister. That drive and ruthlessness could be forged into him, unlike pure skill in firebending just as his brother Iroh had decayed into a decadent and lazy old man; that drive could make his son a formidable bender and fighter, and thus, far more useful in his plans for the future.</em>
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  <em>His son stood before him in the courtyard, and had quickly taken a firebending stance, and he didn't dare look Ozai in the eye; he knew that he was there to show his progress, and nothing more than that. He took a deep breath, thrusting his right hand forward, sending out a fire stream, before he began to move forward, alternating to his left, before he sent a kick out, an arc of flames firing up into the sky above him. He spun around and kicked again, sending a stream of flames out of the sole of his left foot; the Prince sustained the stream for a few moments, before he dropped down, making a sweeping kick.</em>
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  <em>He had yet to make a single mistake with his footing; Zuko's firebending wasn't that impressive, but at the very least, nobody was going to trip him over. He spun his hands around, creating a spinning circle of flames in his hands, before throwing his fists forward, concentrating the flames into a powerful stream he created with both hands. He then bent the flames around, arcing them in a circle, sending out volleys of fireballs while the flames encircled him, providing some degree of defence. He then bent all the flames he had surrounding him away from his body, making a spherical fire blast which shot out in every direction; though the flames weren't that hot, the attack itself nearly singed Ozai's eyebrows off, and he covered his face to block the glare.</em>
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  <em>Zuko returned to form, and bowed respectfully toward his father, a straight, stoic look on his face; his father looked at him for a few moments, considering whether he ought to congratulate him. His bending was nowhere near as intense and graceful as Azula's, and his control was a little soft, but his forms had been perfected. Notably slower than his sister, but he had done it. He wondered how long his son had spent training; perhaps he spent as much time as Ozai did when he was his age, where he'd spend every hour outside of being tutored or sleeping working on his forms. Even then, he had not earned his father's approval, just as Zuko had not earned his; one day, he knew his son would be powerful and skilled enough to compare with the Prince himself, as he knew if Azula would surpass him, Zuko would try to surpass her, even if he never could. The competitive nature of their relationship would ultimately make his son a better firebender, and he would tolerate his envious glares and sneers for what they were- a weapon for his use.</em>
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  <em>He did not clap, and simply gestured for his son to return to his spot, "Move onto your next sets." he simply told him, his son's eyes darting up, momentarily meeting his own, "If you want to think about serving your country, you will need to learn faster."</em>
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  <em>"Yes, Father." he acknowledged him with a straight face, nodding with his eyes facing down to show his comprehension, before he strode over to sit beside Azula; he didn't look at his sister, as expected, and she remained straight-faced, unconcerned by Ozai's words- of course she wouldn't be, because she was the better firebender, and unlike Iroh had been, she was no weak, morally-minded fool.</em>
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  <em>"That is all I needed of you today." he declared, "You may return to what you were doing." he simply told them, before narrowing his eyes at his son, "More training I assume?"</em>
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  <em>Zuko looked up at his father, before he nodded, "Yes, Father." he assured him; the hesitation he had in his words told him he was not doing that, but his lie was convincing.</em>
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  <em>He decided not to bring him up on it, and turned his eyes to Azula, "Have Lo and Li begun readying you for lightning generation yet, Azula?"</em>
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  <em>"They say the technique is too dangerous to try until I have mastered all the advanced forms." she acknowledged, sounding snide in her comment; she obviously wanted to learn it sooner, and he agreed with that sentiment.</em>
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  <em>"Well, perhaps they need a little persuasion." he conceded, "I'll speak with them once I have dealt with my own training." he clarified, "You are both dismissed." he simply told them, his children both rising up to their feet, bowing at him, as was custom, before they turned their heels.</em>
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  <em>Zuko walked away faster, and he swore he could hear a little chuckle coming from his daughter; he did not know what was so funny, but he assumed it had to do with his son's lie. He assumed that if Azula found it amusing, then the content of his lies could not be that serious; his son was still a boy, after all, even if he was starting to show more refined features, mirroring his own, eerily enough. He hoped that Zuko did not take after him in more than looks. If he did, then he could only imagine if his opinion of him mirrored his own opinion of his father. </em>
  <em>Fire Lord Azulon was a cold old man who had no care for him, and barely ever had; his mother had been kinder than him, but she did not try and stop his father from his cruel ways. He did not intend to be Fire Lord Azulon, and have his son hate him; he wanted to shape him into a better prince, and hopefully, that prince would not be one who would use his skills against him. He knew that would be one way his son could find his way to an early grave.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Fire Lord Iroh was not cold, nor was he in the company of individuals he didn't trust, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel uncomfortable. Sitting at a beach on the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, he was relieved that their steamer had had enough fuel to reach the coast, though with little fuel, they were lacking in choice of their destination. They were meant to reach a Fire Navy port, from which they intended to travel to the city of Omashu. He realised that Bumi, and by extension, the Order of the White Lotus would be of great help with solving his current issue; of course, just getting their help wouldn't do it, given that Ozai likely had spies everywhere, and the assassins he had sent after him were likely not going to be simply dissuaded by the Royal Barge being sunk.</p><p>His guards had sent out a messenger hawk as as soon as they reached the shore, and they set up camp, deciding to stay there and wait for a rescue mission to arrive; he hadn't told them about the letter, and even if the Imperial Firebenders understood that he knew what had happened, or at least, more than the fact they were looking to kill him, he wasn't going to say anything else to incriminate his brother. He had Zuko to think about, and more than that, the peace of the world; even if the war was practically over, starting a civil war with his brother was the furthest thing from his mind. What he hoped for was that he could return to the capital without issue, and confront his brother before he found out about his nephew's complicity in Iroh's survival.</p><p>"Your majesty." he heard one of his guards address him; it was about time they had dinner, though he was unsure what they were going to eat.</p><p>"Yes?" he asked him, the guard making a small smile; his helmet wasn't on, though that made sense, given that the guard was practically off-duty, even if they were all remaining alert to whether the assassins would come for Iroh again.</p><p>"Dinner's ready to be served."</p><p>"Wait..." he narrowed his eyes, a little confused by what he was saying, as he realised that he was the only one being addressed, "You mean only for me?"</p><p>"Yes, the cook was able to save a little duck for you. He says roast duck is what you were meant to be having for dinner tonight." he explained, the Fire Lord letting out a little laugh.</p><p>"Well, that's very kind of the cook." he smiled, genuinely appreciative of his efforts; to think the thing he'd saved when the Royal Barge was sinking was Iroh's next meal was a little amusing, but given that it was his job to feed the Fire Lord, he couldn't say he was surprised, "You all ought to be getting something decent too. I know that navy rations mightn't be the nicest."</p><p>"They aren't." the Imperial Firebender admitted, "But we will persevere, your majesty. That is your will."</p><p>"I did say that." he raised a finger to his goatee, before turning his gaze back to his guard, "I'll have my meal now."</p><p>He nodded, and paced off, presumably to go get him his food; he was unsure what exactly the cook was using to cook the duck, but he assumed that one of the campfires would have sufficed to cook it. He turned his gaze over to the campfire in front of him, wondering what exactly was going on; he understood that his brother wanted him out of the way, so he could become the Fire Lord, but he had no idea what his plans were beyond assassins. He wondered if there was a larger conspiracy at work; he knew from what Zuko had told him that that was a possibility, but he still had no clue as to who was involved, and how dedicated they were to the plot. He didn't want to inadvertently start a civil war by prodding Ozai's supporters into rising up to help his brother.</p><p>A few moments later, the cook approached him, with a bowl of roast duck and some chopsticks in hand, "Your majesty, he's your dinner." he bowed down toward him, Iroh smiling as he rose up to his feet, accepting the meal.</p><p>"Thank you for spending your time making this. It is truly appreciated." he assured him, "Please, make sure the rest of the crew and my guards are well fed. Whatever we can spare, we should eat. The Fire Navy will be here soon enough, and I'd rather we are rescued with full stomachs." he explained, the cook nodding, understanding his command.</p><p>"Of course, your majesty. Everyone will be fed." he stressed, "Some of the crew are making a pot out of the emergency supplies we had on the steamer."</p><p>"Good." he nodded, before sitting himself down, "Go ahead and enjoy your evening. I will try to enjoy mine."</p><p>"Yes, your majesty." he bowed toward the Fire Lord, before turning his heels; Iroh picked up a bit of roast duck and chewed it down- it was delicious, and it brightened his mood a little.</p><p>The most frustrating part about them being shipwrecked was that tea was not one of the essential items in the emergency supplies; he would not complain, however- they weren't dead, and that was what counted. He turned his gaze around the beach, noting the treeline in the distance, which a few of his men were patrolling. There was a chance that some local Earth Kingdom fishermen or hunters might show up, which wouldn't be very good for them; his Imperial Firebenders were tense, and might end up attacking anybody who came across them, no matter their intentions. Everyone was tense, because everyone had seen what had happened on the Royal Barge. Iroh was nearly killed by the most deadly assassin in the Fire Nation, and the rest of the goons following him were almost as dangerous, and were able to contend with his guards- that was not a good thing, given that he knew that they may return to finish the job. While on land, though they had places to run away to, they were unlikely to be able to hide from the assassins.</p><p>He ate his meal in silence, but he knew that he'd have to address the matter eventually; telling the Imperial Guards everything he knew was dangerous, even if would help motivate them and allow them to understand the situation; forgoing the truth was better than putting their lives, and the life of his nephew in danger. If Ozai knew they knew about the plot, he might try to have them killed, just as he feared he might do to Zuko. He decided on a middle ground, knowing that otherwise, his guards might panic at the possibilities.</p><p>"I know you're all worried." he addressed his guards, who were sitting around him, for his safety, and not their own; he knew that they were unsafe being anywhere near him, "People want me dead."</p><p>"You're the greatest hero of our nation." one of his guards spoke up; the way he said it was not flattery, intended to please the Fire Lord- it was confusion, "Those men, they were Fire Nation. Why would they try to kill you?"</p><p>"I don't know." he lied, "All I know is that they want to get rid of me. We have to remain vigilant. Every moment you spend with me is a moment in danger."</p><p>"We can protect ourselves, just as we can protect you, your majesty." one of the guards argued, the Fire Lord raising a hand up.</p><p>"Can you defend against a man who can firebend with his mind?" he asked, the guards grimacing; they knew they couldn't- Iroh barely could, the only thing he could do was hope that lightning would do the trick.</p><p>"No, we cannot, your majesty." another guard spoke up, "We can't abandon you. That would be to rescind our oaths. We cannot do that."</p><p>"I know you cannot." he acknowledged, "But if the time comes, please, try and save yourselves. I do not want any more blood on my hands." he argued, the men timidly looking down; everyone knew what happened to Lu Ten, and even if some people might have commented about Iroh's failures behind his back, those who knew him on a personal level, like his guards, understood the guilt he felt- there was reason he barely ever spoke about Lu Ten- his death was his greatest failure.</p><p>"I should have died in Ba Sing Se." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, "But I did not." he stated the fact of the matter, "We will survive this, but I know... I know those men won't just give up."</p><p>"We will kill them, your majesty." one of his Imperial Firebenders assured him, "That is our duty. They have committed treason by trying to harm you."</p><p>"They have." he acknowledged, "For coin or for honour, I don't know which." he added, another lie; he did not want them understanding the truth of the matter, that Ozai was the one who wanted him dead.</p><p>"We will get to the bottom of it, your majesty." one of them spoke up, making a small smile, "If we can find them, we will stop whatever group conspires to kill you. That is our duty."</p><p>They would go after him, and they would die, if they could reach his brother to begin with; the guards spoke of duty and honour, but they didn't realise that they would be the ones dying if they really lived up to their oaths.</p><p>"You should not." he warned them, before looking down to his meal, which didn't look so enticing when he considered what might come after their rescue, "To die without a life well lived is to die for nothing."</p><p>He didn't want them to die for him, to die to protect a man who ought to protect himself; oaths were stupid, especially when they led to needless death and suffering. Just like the war, which he wanted to bring to an end; he wanted peace, that was all he had wanted since he had lost his son, and realised the fault in his ways. He wanted peace in his family, peace in his nation, and peace for the world. He needed to get off that beach and find a way to contact those he could trust to handle the situation; his Imperial Firebenders were powerful, that was true, but they were not suited for the kind of situation they had found themselves in. The Order of the White Lotus was as secretive, if not more so, than his brother's conspiracy, and he would be able to gain their assistance, as he intended to stay on the promise he had given them; the war would be over, and it would be other by his hand, or the hand of whoever succeeded him. He just hoped, of all things, that if he was to die, that his niece and nephew didn't kill each other over the throne; that wouldn't just make him a terrible father, he'd be a terrible uncle too.</p><hr/><p>Zuko couldn't help but feel paranoid when an Imperial Firebender came to his room, telling him that his father wanted to see him. He and Mai had sent their letters, and he just hoped the one to Iroh had got to him in time; to be told by his father that his uncle was dead would be a rather awkward thing to deal with. That was ignoring the sadness he would feel from his uncle's demise; he had seen it coming, however, so he could face it down with a straight-face, that much was certain. Unlike Lu Ten's death, which he had had no foresight of; he had heard it straight from the mouth of Fire Lord Azulon, who spent the entire time chiding his father. The old man was dead, and now, Ozai was poised to sit on the throne that was never intended for him; he clenched his fists, and snarled, knowing exactly who ought to be on it.</p><p>"Cousin... I won't let him steal what is yours. He doesn't deserve it." he mumbled to himself, knowing that he wasn't really speaking to his cousin; he missed him so much, even after all those years, and wished that things could have gone differently.</p><p>He would have preferred his uncle to lose the siege and return home with Lu Ten. At least then he'd have somebody that he could reach out to; a friend that he could trust without a shred of doubt. He liked Mai, he really did, but they didn't have the same bond he and his cousin had; he was like a brother to him. It was the kind of bond he assumed he was meant to have with Azula; he wouldn't have a bar of that, however. She didn't deserve his help, and she didn't need it either.</p><p>He stepped over toward the doorway, and eyed the Imperial Firebender who was standing there, "Where am I meeting my father?"</p><p>"He is in the throne room." he explained, the Prince turning his eyes away, before he shook his head; he was not surprised in the slightest that his father was in the throne room, relishing in the power he was going to seize for himself- he wasn't just a conceited man, but an unabashed and boastful one.</p><p>He strode down the hallway, knowing where he had to go; he wouldn't have an Imperial Firebender escorting him around the palace. It was not as if somebody was going to try and assassinate him, or at least, from what he could tell, there wasn't. His father didn't want him dead, at least not yet; he could understand him shifting his feelings on the matter if he found out about Zuko's message and his snooping. Of course, if he did that, he'd inadvertently doom himself, and the young Prince would still win in the end, even if he did not live to see it. He did not want to die, but worse than dying was losing; his cousin, despite his death at the hands of the Dai Li, had not lost- Ba Sing Se was theirs.</p><p>The Prince shook his head, knowing that thinking of such things was pointless; he had everything in place, assuming that Ty Lee received the letter with the evidence, and all he had to do was wait. If his father suspected him, his bargaining chip would be especially useful especially if Iroh was still alive. He hoped that he was; he wanted his uncle to be the Fire Lord. He knew that out of all people, he was the one with the right demeanour and skills to deal with the peace that would inevitably come with the Fire Nation's domination of the world. The other nations would accept the status quo for what it was, and with that, Iroh could work on making the world a better place, bettering the Fire Nation and the rest of the world, just as Fire Lord Sozin had intended. There was no need to do something as insane as burning down the Earth Kingdom.</p><p>As he made his way down the hallway, he strode past a few officials, who looked like they had just met with his father. They seemed a little concerned, and were quietly speaking amongst themselves; if he wasn't heading to see Ozai himself, he might have gone and eavesdropped on their conversation. He was sure that whatever they were talking about was likely to be the topic of the one-way conversation between him and his father. Prince Ozai was not going to tolerate his son speaking up, especially in a way that went against his own authority; he didn't intend to say anything too extreme, assuming that his uncle was still alive. Given that the guard spoke with urgency, but didn't inform him of the specific fact, he was inclined to believe that whatever his father was to speak with him about didn't have to do with Iroh.</p><p>He made a small smile, hoping that he was safe; he knew whatever assassins his father had hired would have been very dangerous, but his uncle was a very skilled firebender, who used many forms Zuko had not learned, and from his understanding, neither had his sister or father. They were unique to his person, and he assumed that was due to his long running interest in learning about bending as a whole. He seemed rather inclined to talk about the Four Nations and the elements, and how they could learn from each other, though he hadn't really seen anything that struck out to him as being 'waterbending but it's firebending', or something of the likes. Not that he'd ever seen a waterbender before, let alone an earthbender; firebending was the only bending art he had any real understanding of, though from his training he understood at least, in theory, what to expect when facing an earthbender or a waterbender. He was sure that with whatever knowledge his uncle had, he'd be able to combat whoever Ozai had sent his way.</p><p>When he reached the throne room, the Imperial Firebenders who were standing there immediately got out of his way; they obviously knew he was coming, from what he could tell. Their masks covered their gazes, but he could tell they were on him; how they shifted their posture and turned their heads slightly as he approached told him enough. He walked past them without even addressing them, as they opened the doors for the young prince; he looked down through the massive throne room, seeing his father sitting there imposingly. He was not wearing the crown, given that he was not the Fire Lord, and simply sitting in his brother's place until he returned to the capital; Zuko had a feeling that if Iroh returned to the capital, it would be with a fleet of ships and a demand for an Agni Kai, a duel he was sure that Ozai would lose. There was a reason he didn't try to do such a duel when Iroh ascended to the throne; it was because even he knew, with all his cockiness and arrogance on the topic of firebending, that his brother was a better, more tact firebender, who would be able to beat him in a  one-on-one fight.</p><p>Zuko approached his father, and when he got close enough, he knelt down; he was glaring at his son, who refused to look his way. He knew protocol, and he would stick to it while he wanted to at least retain an image of respect toward his father. He did respect him in many regards, such as his wit, skill with firebending and authoritative image; he had made himself into someone who ought to be feared and submitted to, and he had not served his country to make that image- it was all in the way he presented himself. However, there were many areas where he thought his father was a fool; his arrogance held no bounds, and his ruthless desire to destroy and obliterate their enemies was both respectable and dangerous- he knew that if he took the throne properly, he would do untold damage to their enemies, and perhaps even their own nation.</p><p>"Prince Zuko, the Fire Sages have brought me important news." he addressed him, the Prince narrowing his eyes; the Fire Sages were about as far removed from the actual politics of the Fire Nation as peasants in the fields of a remote village, "The Avatar has returned." he explained, Zuko's eyes widening; that was terrible news, in his eyes- the Avatar was not just a threat to their nation, but also a tool for Azula to gain more respect from both their uncle and father, so she could try and cement herself above him in the line of succession.</p><p>"The Avatar?" he turned his gaze up to his father, "How long ago?"</p><p>"Two days ago." he clarified, "The Fire Sages at Crescent Island say the statue of Avatar Roku glowed; that is indicative that the Avatar has activated their Avatar State." he explained, the Prince narrowing his eyes; the Avatar awakening didn't exactly mean much if nobody had any idea where he was.</p><p>"Do we have any idea where the Avatar is?" he asked his father, who pursed his lips upward; that indicated that he did have some idea.</p><p>"A navy report has just come in from the Southern Seas this afternoon. It's five days old, but it reports of sightings of an odd creature. I asked the Fire Sages about this, and they believe that it is the Avatar's sky-bison."</p><p>"May I ask, Father, who filed the report?" he asked, the elder Prince raising his chin up.</p><p>"Commander Zhao." he clarified, "He commands a fleet in the region."</p><p>"The Avatar is a great threat to our nation, Father. Will you task him with ensuring that the Avatar cannot threaten our occupation of the Earth Kingdom?"  he asked his father, knowing that Ozai couldn't disagree with his suggestion; that image had built up required that he be decisive and swift in his actions- he was not one for playing around.</p><p>"Hmph." Ozai ran his right hand down his goatee, before straightening his posture; he didn't seem to disapprove of Zuko's suggestion- if anything, he was impressed, "Well, I believe that would be the best course of action, Prince Zuko." he agreed with his idea, "Commander Zhao and his fleet should be well equipped to track down and corner the Avatar before he becomes a real threat. The rebels in the Earth Kingdom might try to abuse the situation if he comes to their aid."</p><p>He nodded, pursing his lips upward, "Our ships are fast. The Avatar will not be able to evade them for long."</p><p>His father let out a little laugh, before smirking, "Ah, now I almost wish my grandfather didn't allow the hunting of dragons. Riding upon those, our men would be more than able to destroy the master of the elements. A shame." he noted, before narrowing his eyes, "I have already sent a message to your sister to inform her." he noted, smirking at him; now the smirk was less approving of Zuko's ideas and more of the fact that he had his 'preferred heir' poised to capture the master of the elements, "She will make quick work of the Avatar, as soon as she finds him."</p><p>The young prince turned his gaze downward, and tried to hide his annoyance with a straight face; his father was right- Azula would make quick work of the Avatar, and then he'd have to find something of comparable weight to achieve. He turned his eyes back up to meet his father's, feeling frustrated that he could even agree with what Ozai just said, and hated the smug look on his face; he knew what he was thinking, even if he did not know of the rebellious things he had done against him.</p><p>"Yes, yes she will."</p><hr/><p>Princess Azula looked over the scroll she had in her hands once more; it was one of the many scrolls she'd been able to retrieve from the Eastern Air Temple, which she found of great interest to her quest. The specific scroll was one of poetry; usually she wouldn't care very much for the musings of some random individual, but Air Nomad poetry intrigued her. It spoke of the world, but not in the way she herself understood it. The Fire Nation saw the world as something that was to be shaped by the hands of man; the spirits were relegated to legend, even if some cropped up for real, from time to time, and the world was something that could only be wielded by humanity. Their power, both over the elements and over their minds, made them far more capable than any other creatures, and the Fire Nation was the epitome of this. Their element was the most powerful, capable of creating fire, the most fundamentally necessary aspect of their civilisation; they burned coal, melted ore, burned down and cleared woodland, cooked food. It was the most powerful element, above all else, and they wielded it; the Fire Nation was destined to shape the world in the image of that power.</p><p>The Air Nomads, in contrast, seemed to see the world and humanity in a very different light; there was no power, no strength or control- those things were pointless, in their eyes, and only went against the natural order, against balance. Things like fate and destiny themselves were ephemeral, just as human lives were; perhaps they even could have seen their doom coming, but didn't care, given that it was bound to happen eventually. They thought that any attempt to control the material world was as futile as trying to stop a river from flowing- that was what the poem was about, actually; if one dammed a river, the water would build up and overflow, and flood the valley below. Control and order led to more chaos than there was to begin with; their worldview showed her at the very least, why there was some kind of conceptualisation of balance to begin with. She didn't agree with it, but she understood it; balance, in their eyes, was created by impartiality and non-intervention.</p><p>The Princess placed the scroll to the side, deciding that she'd return to her meditation; she looked to the flames, and remembered what the scroll had said. The river was her like her firebending; if it was held back, and then released, it would be stronger, but the same could be said about a river when it was filled with too much water. The rain was her emotions; control over her emotions was like making sure the river flowed just as it should. Not too strongly, and not so weakly that it dried up and all the fish lay dead from suffocation at the dried riverbed. That was like her losing her emotions and drive for her bending.</p><p>She took a deep breath, remembering that even if the Air Nomads were stupid for their ideas of impartiality and lack of control, their ideas of balance could very well be applied to make her a better firebender; the best firebendere was not the most angry or driven one, but the one who had the best understanding of their element how how to best use their drive. Her uncle was living proof of that; he might have lacked the drive to be the kind of Fire Lord their country needed, but he certainly held the inner strength and control that made him an unstoppable firebender. She wished that she could wield the wisdom and calmness of Iroh and the tenacity of Ozai as one; she understood strengths and weaknesses, and sought to find the right path. A master firebender needed to be powered by the right fuel, and though she could fall back to fear and hatred, she knew that was not the most effective path; she had her dream, her ideal of the future- it was what had driven her to sail around the world looking for the Avatar, and it was what would drive her to the throne.</p><p>Suddenly, she heard a sound she hadn't been expecting- a knock on her door; she was certain could only mean one thing. Azula pursed her lips upward- it was not time for her dinner, so there was only one reason somebody could be interrupting her afternoon meditation. She rose up to her feet, and took a deep breath, the flames on the candle tips that surrounded her growing brighter as she inhaled. She approached the doorway, and pulled it open, eyeing the Imperial Firebender who stood by her door.</p><p>"Where?" she asked him, the Imperial Firebender handing her a note; she unfurled the note, and saw that it was a message sent from a Fire Navy base on the south coast of the Earth Kingdom- rumours of the Avatar being on an island in the Southern Sea.</p><p>"Kyoshi Island." he explained; she had heard of that island, and given that they were heading in the general direction of it, she was certain they'd be there very soon.</p><p>"Ironic." she pursed her lips upward, before shaking her head, realising that was a misjudgement of the situation.</p><p>It wasn't ironic, given that the Avatar had a subconscious connection with all their past lives. It made complete sense that the Avatar would show up on Kyoshi Island of all places, associated with the great Avatar Kyoshi, whose many feats were what inspired the fear she could feel in her grandfather's notes.</p><p>"Do you want us to set a course for the island?" the Imperial Firebender asked her, the Princess nodding.</p><p>"I do. I will need to speak with the helmsman once he has a course and a time-frame. We cannot afford to lose the element of surprise. None of the previous sightings of this sky-bison sound to be hostile, so we can assume the Avatar isn't expecting to fight us." she explained, before straightening her face, realising that she shouldn't have spoken her mind so openly to one of her guards; there was meant to be a professional distance when it came to her relationship with them, "Go on." she gestured for him to go follow her orders, which he did, after bowing toward her with respect.</p><p>Air Nomads were pacifists, but even then, the person who had awoken had to be someone who was aware of their abilities, and had access to the Avatar State. She was certain that the Avatar would know how to fight, and she was ready to face them. She understood airbending and the culture of the Air Nomads, at least as well as somebody uninitiated to the culture could be, especially given that nobody had seen or spoken to an Air Nomad in a hundred years.</p><p>She closed her door, and turned back to face the candles, they lit up bright with her blue flames; unlike usual, the flame was not a cool blue, but a bright, unwavering blue, the flames themselves almost looking white while her room was bathed in the colour of her flames. She pursed her lips upward, knowing that her inner feelings were expressed quite well by the outward effect of her firebending. Azula was ready to do what those of her bloodline had failed to do for generations; she was going to capture the Avatar, take him back to the Fire Nation Capital, and rub her victory in her pigheaded brother's face.</p><p>He was going to see what her determination and wit was capable of; she was not just the greatest firebender in a generation- she was the only one capable of beating the Avatar. She wouldn't go as far to say she would be able to predict their actions; whoever they were, she understood where they had come from, who had raised them, and what they would do; a pacifistic Avatar was going to be a lot easier to handle than an aggressive one, but she knew that the desire to flee would likely cause issue. She didn't worry, however; Azula was fast on her feet, and if the Avatar relented for a single moment, she would take him down.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Mercy Is A Weapon</h2></a>
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  <em>"Did you lose in Pai Sho again?"</em>
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  <em>Azula clenched her fists upon hearing those words come out of her brother's mouth; the mocking tone suggested that he could go any better against Iroh than she could, and she was gravely offended by the suggestion. Zuko was no idiot, and she understood that if he was a little more thick in the head, he mightn't even try to prod her with his incendiary comments; but he did, and she would bite back, and she'd do so with the one thing she knew her brother couldn't face up.</em>
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  <em>"Are you implying you beat me, Brother?" she asked him, the Prince raising his chin up.</em>
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  <em>His height on her did not make him intimidating in the slightest, but she knew that he was no joke; he worked out every single day. Unlike herself, he did not relent in the slightest when it came to the physical aspect of firebending; she was powerful and concentrated in her forms, while her brother was wild and unrelenting, like a forest-fire. Azula noted that in trying to become as good a firebender as her, he had become surprisingly athletic and well-built. If there was one thing she was sure her brother could beat her at, it would be a marathon or rock-climbing competition; she was sure he hadn't done rock-climbing before, but with his calloused hands, which grasped her shoulder rather tensely, she was sure he'd be half-decent at it.</em>
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  <em>"Well, I've never tried to play Pai Sho against you. I assume you'd just love to beat me." he acknowledged, the Princess flicking his hand off of her shoulder.</em>
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  <em>"Oh yes, but we both know I don't need Pai Sho to humiliate you, Brother." she warned Zuko, who scoffed at her words.</em>
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  <em>"Is that a challenge, Zula?" he quipped, crossing his arms, the Princess gesturing over to the courtyard.</em>
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  <em>"What, are you afraid of a little fire, Zuzu?" she mocked him in return, the Prince flaring his teeth, only for a moment, before he turned his heels, pacing over the way she had gestured; he didn't need to tell her what he had decided, it was shown all through his posture- he was in, and he was ready to throw some flames at her.</em>
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  <em>She pursed her lips upward, wanting no more than to remind her brother of his place; she was the better bender, and she would not have him act like he was her better. She followed him out to the courtyard, and she grasped the chest-plate that covered part of her royal robes, taking them off, placing them down beside her. The attire looked nice, but it impeded her movement, which she'd need to beat her brother; he was quite agile himself, and that was why he posed even the slightest of threats toward her. She could overpower his firebending, but she couldn't exactly stop him from jumping around and shooting her in the back of the head with a fireball. Zuko did the same, and pulled his sleeves up, immediately taking form; she recognised the form a little too well- it was the one her cousin had used when she had sparred him just before he left the palace.</em>
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  <em>"Are you going to fight me or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" she prodded her brother, which made him roll his eyes before he thrust his fist forward, sending out a reasonably large fireball, which she weaved under, raising her left hand up to cut it in two, dispersing the flames before they could set the wooden pillars on the palace walls alight.</em>
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  <em>If there was one thing she didn't want to result from her little spar with Zuko, it was the palace getting set on fire; her father would be displeased, and she was sure her grandfather would be furious- she momentarily considered how amusing it would be to see the old man get properly angry at her. The idea of challenging the old fool to an Agni Kai was something that excited her, but she knew that even with his age, he was still a very powerful firebender- there was good reason her father feared him as much as he did.</em>
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  <em>She immediately moved forward, sending a volley of fireballs his way, before kicking a cutting arc of flames toward him; he blocked and dodged the former, before ducking under the latter, sending a fire stream out of his left foot. She jumped up, dodging the attack, and charged a jet on her right sole, which sent out an impressive blue stream of flames. He brother was forced to raise his hands up to block the attack, and was forced back, though his footing remained steady.</em>
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  <em>She pursed her lips up, ready to put her brother in his place; he was just as eager to fight as she was, and before she could make her next move, he conjured a fire whip, which flew forward to grasp her left hand. she grit her teeth, but the attack didn't hurt that much, and she took advantage of her brother's grip by bending the end of the fire-whip, causing it to shorten, before she flicked the end that was originally around her brother's wrist right into his face. He cried out in pain, and stumbled back with his right hand over the hurt side of his face.</em>
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  <em>"Argh!" he snarled, looking back her way with one eye open, but his glare was no less hateful than it would have been with two.</em>
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  <em>She smirked, and thrust her left fist forward, creating a fire stream which she sent right toward her brother, hoping to knock him to the ground and force him to forfeit. He spun his hands around, and for a split second, she thought he might be trying to generate lightning, but she knew for a fact that her brother hadn't learnt said technique. He instead cut through her fire stream, bending her flames, phasing them to the usual orange colour she'd expect of any fire; he held his arms out, and effectively dispersed her attack.</em>
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  <em>The look of fury on her brother's face suggested to Azula that he wasn't done, and she immediately moved into a defensive position, knowing that he was going to attack; his flames were fast, hot and unrelenting, just as she expected. She was able to weave around the first few fireballs he sent her way, but as he stepped closer, his accuracy increased, forcing her to block the attacks herself; she used her own fireballs to neutralise his attacks, embers spitting around the courtyard as their attacks destroyed each other. He got even closer, and thrust his right hand forward, sending out a fire stream, which only thanks to her left hand rising to grasp his wrist, prevented him from torching her face, something she certainly wouldn't have enjoyed. She realised how vicious her brother's attacks were, and tried to hold back her fear; she wanted to humiliate him, that was true, but he wanted to hurt her, and hurt her badly.</em>
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  <em>"Nice try, Zuzu." she mocked him, knowing that it would cover whatever unease she felt about his hostility; he tried to firebend at her with his left hand instead, but she was quick enough to kick him in the shin, and he slumped down to the ground.</em>
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  <em>"Fuck!" he cried out in pain from the hit, using his hands to prevent his face from slamming into the stone tiles.</em>
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  <em>He snarled, and looked ready to try and attack her again; she didn't let him get the chance, sending a small, rather harmless fireball into his head, which broke his hold on the ground and forced his nose right into the stone tiles below. He grunted, and groaned, now obviously too hurt to try and attack her again.</em>
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  <em>"Urgh." he grumbled, the Princess shaking her head; she had humiliated her brother, at the cost of nearly getting her face burnt off.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As she strode back over toward her chest-plate, deciding that it was best she leave before her brother decided to react poorly to his loss, "What the fuck was that for?" he asked her with a pained, clearly angry voice, and she simply turned back to face him, pointing a finger at him, just to assure him that she was being serious rather than simply mocking him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe if you don't try to kill me, I won't break your nose again."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The village before Azula was far too quiet; she knew she was in the right place. Her sources all led to it, and it was clear that the people present had seen her coming; her Royal Barge had rather large smoke stacks, and beyond that, it was rather easy to see the sea, and thus any ships, from the village. Pulling on the reins of her komodo rhino, she sighed, certain that the Avatar was going to be waiting for her; she didn't know what to expect- all she had heard was that the Avatar was there. They might have even known that she was going after them; she couldn't be certain, and she glanced back toward her Imperial Firebenders.</p><p>"Hold yourselves. We could burn this village down to draw them out, but I have a better idea." she acknowledged, before dismounting her steed.</p><p>She eyed around the village, and was unable to see anybody; she was sure all the villagers were cowering inside of their houses. They had good reason to fear the Fire Nation, and to fear her; the Avatar, however, probably hadn't faced off against the Fire Nation yet, so she could probably at least try to assert some goodwill. It would be far easier for her and her men to force them to surrender than to actually fight them; she had no idea of the actual skill the Avatar wielded, but she was sure that they had to be reasonably powerful if they were hidden for a whole hundred years.</p><p>"Avatar!" she called out to her target, who she hoped was listening, "Now, I know you're here, and I'm not here to harm you, or whoever lives in this village. I know that Air Nomads hate violence and intervening in people's lives, so I'm going to give you this one opportunity to surrender yourself. Trust me, this is the easier option." she shouted out into the village; she didn't get a response, and the Princess rolled her eyes, "Well, then." she mumbled, turning to face her guards, "Move out. Try and not burn the place down. I don't want to deal with a bunch of angry peasants on top of the Avatar."</p><p>She turned her head to the right, hearing footsteps on the roof; a sneak attack, which didn't surprise her. A girl jumped off of the roof, dressed in green robes and some rather simple armour, with some make-up on her face, akin which she believed to be akin to that which Avatar Kyoshi herself wore. The Princess immediately responded by jabbing a fireball into the legs of the attacker, who stumbled over as she landed, her stance weakened by the burns Azula had delivered. She quickly got back up to her feet, wielding two golden fans in hand, and charged to attack her. She was joined by a number of other girls wearing the same attire, and Azula stepped back, taking a defensive position with her Imperial Firebenders; they were just there for the Avatar, but if she had to beat up a bunch of quite literal fan-girls of a previous Avatar to get to them, then she'd do just that.</p><p>"You wouldn't happen to know where the Avatar is? You all seem to be a little familiar." she asked the warriors who had surrounded her; they didn't seem to appreciate her mocking tone, and she was forced to weave out of the way of a fan that was swung around, nearly slicing through her throat, "I'll take that as 'I wanted to be interrogated first'." she deduced, smirking as she jabbed the warrior who attacked her with a number of quick fireballs in succession, before she spun her arms around, creating an arc of flames which slashed the warrior's forearms, forcing her to drop her fans.</p><p>She then kicked her right leg out, sending a fire blast from the sole of her foot, which struck the warrior right in the chest; she was flung down to the ground, and groaned with pain. One of her comrades charged at Azula, trying to trip her over with her fan. She jumped up and kicked that warrior in the chest, forcing her back, before she landed back on her feet, realising that she was surrounded by three warriors. She realised one of them looked a bit odd; the warrior was a boy, not a girl, which didn't make much sense if all the other warriors were girls.</p><p>Two of the warriors tried to strike her with their fans, and she ducked under one fan before she grasped the other warrior by her arm. She jabbed her in the gut with a fireball, before she threw her into the boy, who grunted as he had the full weight over another person on top of him. The last warrior whacked Azula's arm, forcing her to reorient her stance; she felt a stinging pain in her arm, but she was able to ignore it as she reached her left hand forward, grasping the warrior by her right hand, in which she held a fan.</p><p>"I'd prefer if you just told me where the Avatar was so I could get this over with." she admitted, the warrior snarling, drawing out a fan with her left hand.</p><p>Azula responded by breathing out a fire stream, forcing the warrior to lean back, lest she get her hair set alight. She then kicked her in the calf, forcing her down to the ground, before she eyed the other warriors. There were still a few of them fighting off her Imperial Firebenders, but given that they were outnumbered, there wasn't much chance they had of winning; she glanced over, and saw that the boy was rising up to his feet, drawing out a weapon that wasn't familiar to her- it wasn't a fan, but rather a icy blue blade of sorts. She watched as he suddenly threw it, though in the complete opposite direction.</p><p>"Was that some kind of signal?" she asked him, charging up some flames in her left palm, "It's no matter. That's exactly what I want. I need to find the Avatar." she explained, the boy smirking at her as he drew out two fans.</p><p>"Oh, good luck at that, ash-maker." he told her, the Princess glancing behind him to see that the blade he had thrown was coming right back at her; her eyes widened, and she didn't have enough time to dodge, the blade striking her shoulder, which was thankfully covered by armour.</p><p>She was flung down to the ground, and eyed the boy, and one other warrior, who had drawn out a broadsword instead to fight her with, "You are going to regret that." she warned him, before thrusting her right leg up, sending out a fire stream, which the boy blocked with his two open fans.</p><p>The other warrior swung her blade down at Azula, who weaved out of the way before jabbing her with her fist, rather than her firebending, in the side; she grunted in pain, and the Princess turned her attention to the boy, who tried to hit with one of his fans. She blocked the attack with her forearm before she kicked him square in the crotch, which his armour didn't cover.</p><p>"Argh!" he cried out, before she turned around to shoot a fireball into the chest of the other warrior, who was still trying to attack her with her sword.</p><p>She was forced to weave out of the way of the blade once more, before she made a sweeping kick, both setting the ends of her robes on fire, and striking her in the shin. She cried out in pain, before Azula swung her right arm down onto her sword arm; she dropped her blade, and thus, the Princess considered her a non-threat. She then turned around, jabbing the boy in the chest with a fireball; he fell back onto the ground, and Azula charged a fireball in her right hand, ready to start interrogating him. She hadn't even had to use her advanced forms against her opponents, so she felt confident that they were surely defeated.</p><p>"Do I need to ask again? Where is the Avatar?" she snarled at him; though at first, he seemed unnerved by her threats, his eyes widened with surprise, and he gestured behind her.</p><p>Azula turned around, and saw who she had been looking for; except, it was not what she had expected. It was what had to be a twelve or eleven year old boy, wearing the robes of an Air Nomad and the tattoos of an airbending master. There was no chance the boy before her wasn't the Avatar; she could not conceive what other kind of person would earn their tattoos at such a young age. He looked at her with a serious glare, with what had to be his glider staff in hand.</p><p>"This has to be a joke." she tried to deny what she was seeing, "A child." she mumbled, before shaking her head, taking a firebending form; she could not deny what she was seeing- it was good luck, in the end, given that beating a child would be far easier than fighting a century old master of the elements.</p><p>"Hey! Over here! Are you here for me?" he asked Azula, obviously trying to prod her to stop her from fighting the others; she began to approach him, and the Avatar immediately took an airbending form, which she understood would be augmented by his staff.</p><p>She raised a hand up, "This is rather simple. You have two choices. You can either fight me, I win, and then I take you prisoner, or you can do the smart thing and surrender right now. Do you want this village to get burnt down?" she asked him, the young Avatar looking at her with a slightly confused face, before he narrowed his eyes; his expression suggested he still desired to resist- she would break his resolve quickly, if he really was as pacifistic as Air Nomads were known to be.</p><p>He readied his staff to send an air blast her way, and Azula simply readied her hands, "Get out of the way!" she demanded of her Imperial Firebenders, who heeded her words, before she threw her arms up, creating a wall of flames which towered up between her and the Air Nomad, who tried his best to break through her attack.</p><p>He clearly failed, and when the wall of flames dispersed, his eyes widened, obviously afraid of what she had just done; she grit her teeth, and took a deep breath, before she spun her hands around, the sparks forming between her finger tips; the Avatar didn't realise what was happening until it was too late, and she sent out a lightning bolt. The bright light caught everyone's attention, as did the sound of crackling as it was fired right toward the Avatar; it struck just in front of him, throwing him back onto the ground, and flinging his staff out of his hands. He looked up at her with fear, and she approached, her guards blocking any of the Kyoshi Warriors from trying to attack her.</p><p>"Aang!" She heard a girl's voice cry out, and saw a Water Tribe girl racing toward him; Azula eyed her, and decided to aim a fireball at her- nobody would get in her way of her quest.</p><p>She realised what the Princess was doing, and cowered back, though the young Avatar was the one to disperse the flames with his airbending, before he turned back to face his opponent, "P-please, don't hurt my friends."</p><p>"I won't." she stressed, "Surrender right now, and I assure you no harm will come to your friends or the girls who attacked me." she offered, the young Air Nomad looking at her with a timid face, before he nodded.</p><p>"I have to." he conceded, before rising up to his feet, "I can't beat lightning."</p><p>"No, no you cannot." she agreed with him, before she whistled to her men, "Get some shackles!"</p><p>"You can't let them take you, Aang." the girl pleaded to the Avatar, who shook his head.</p><p>"I can't put you and anybody else in danger. This is my fault, Katara. We should have left, like you said." he admitted, before turning his eyes to Azula, "Wh-who are you?"</p><p>"Your captor." she clarified, before her men approached him, "Don't harm the boy. I just want him restrained." she clarified, the boy looking at her with confusion as her men shackled his hands and feet; he rose up to his full height, an Imperial Firebender on each side, holding him to make sure he could be moved.</p><p>"Why are- I thought the Fire Nation wanted to kill me." he mumbled, the princess scoffing; he was obviously misinformed- killing the Avatar was never her goal, but rather to capture him and bring him to the Fire Lord.</p><p>"Well, perhaps Fire Lord Sozin did, but I'm sure Uncle will want to meet you." she noted, before she gestured to her komodo rhino, "Put him on my steed. We're leaving!" she ordered her men, before turning to face the warriors who had attacked them; most of them seemed injured, and were in no state to resist them.</p><p>"Aang!" she heard the boy call out, "You can't let them take you!" he pleaded, the young Air Nomad grimacing.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Sokka. Take care of Momo and Appa for me while I'm gone." he asked, the boy looking at him with a pained face; he obviously was one of the Avatar's closer friends perhaps he wasn't from the island, and from some other place- the Water Tribe, perhaps, given the girl that seemed to be with him.</p><p>The girl was looking at the Avatar with a clearly worried face; she remembered her to be called Katara, and crossed her arms, looking at her with an annoyed expression- she had no idea how she had come across the Avatar to begin with, and why he was only twelve years old, despite the fact he must have been born a century prior, after the death of Avatar Roku.</p><p>"Where'd you find him?" she asked the girl, who narrowed her eyes at her with a hateful expression.</p><p>She didn't tell her, and simply turned to address the Avatar, "Please, just... don't let them take you, Aang."</p><p>"I'm sorry." he apologised, and Azula leaned over to pick the boy's staff off of the ground.</p><p>"Hmph... he could make use of this." she noted, before tossing it away, "He's not getting a chance." she decided; if she had taken it with her, he might have had a chance to take it and escape her ship, if he was able to somehow break out of wherever she ended up putting him.</p><p>She then strode over to her saddle, and mounted it, noting that the young Avatar was sitting beside her, looking at her nervous, "Uh, can I at least know your name if I'm going to be your prisoner?"</p><p>She looked at him blankly for a few moments, considering whether it was proper to introduce herself; she didn't want to become familiar with the Avatar, despite how intrigued she was by his people and their culture, "Azula." she clarified, before she narrowed her eyes; she realised that she ought to tell him the more important part of her name.</p><p>"I'm Princess Azula."</p><hr/><p>Aang was a little confused by his situation; he had expected that getting captured by the Fire Nation would actually be bad, and it was, at least in the sense that they invaded Kyoshi Island, and were led by a surprisingly cordial Princess who was more than capable of defeating him, despite the fact she could have only been two years older than himself. Azula had taken him aboard her ship, and put him in a decent-sized bedroom, not a prison cell, which surprised him to say the least. She acknowledged that given that he wasn't violently minded and had little opportunity to escape while they were at sea, so imprisoning him was pointless.</p><p>She had left him alone in his room, though he'd been given some food to eat for dinner; it was just plain rice, which intrigued him- she didn't even ask if he was a vegetarian. Princess Azula seemed to be knowledgeable in the culture of his people, which made him think only for a moment that some of them still lived; he dispelled that thought from his mind, knowing that she must have just been well-educated, which was no surprise, given she was royalty.</p><p>He knew the Water Tribe siblings might come after him, but he hoped they did so smartly; they were going to put themselves in needless danger if they came aboard with Appa and Momo, when a bunch of rather powerful firebenders could kick their butts. Sokka had gotten better at fighting thanks to his Kyoshi Warrior training, but he wasn't capable of taking down the best trained firebenders in the Fire Nation, and Katara was an untrained waterbender, and was otherwise incapable of fighting. He almost felt a little annoyed about that, given that her brother was more than capable of teaching her how to use the kinds of weapons he used, even if she couldn't learn waterbending; he assumed that it had to do something with Water Tribe culture, just his vegetarianism and pacifism derived from his people's own.</p><p>He'd gotten a good sleep on the ship, which hummed through the night; that was a little annoying, in his eyes, but the warmth was something that compensated well. Even if the metal was cold to touch, the air inside the ship itself was rather warm. He had been woken up by somebody knocking on his door; he was given some rice porridge for breakfast, which was not that bad, and it had some Fire Nation spices in it which improved the flavour. He would admit that Fire Nation cuisine was actually pretty good, at least in terms of the flavours, while Earth Kingdom cuisine tended to be more varied in terms of ingredients but bland in taste.</p><p>After he'd finished his breakfast, he had been alerted that the Princess wanted to speak with him, and at that very moment, he was walking down the corridors of the ship, flanked by guards; he knew that without his staff, he could not escape, and he decided he wasn't going to try and do so until they reached port. He knew that getting out was possible there, though actually getting back to his friends would be a challenge. He just hoped they were tailing the Princess's ship, so they'd be poised to assist him when he did break free.</p><p>When he approached the door to the Princess's room, it was opened at once, and Azula stood there, patiently waiting for him; she was not suspicious in her glares, but rather intrigued. She stood there in similar attire to that which she wore to Kyoshi Island, though she wasn't wearing any kind of armour at that moment, the only aspect which reminded him of that being her boots, which had interestingly curled tips. Her hair was up, and she looked at him with a straight face; she had make up on too, but he just assumed that was part and parcel of being a Princess and didn't have to do with her meeting with him.</p><p>She obviously wanted to talk to him about his position as the Avatar, though he was unsure what she would have to say. The Fire Nation had killed his people, and he could have stopped it; they wanted to capture him, and the Princess had succeeded. Perhaps they believed him to be a threat to their war of conquest against the rest of the world; they would not be mistaken to believe that, given what he already understood about his role as the Avatar- he was meant to help the world, and he guessed that stopping the Fire Nation was how that would work, in the end.</p><p>"Guards, leave us." she requested, the two men who had been escorting him nodding, before they left them alone, pacing back down the corridor; she remained silent for a few moments, before gesturing into her bedroom, "I'd like to speak with you, Avatar."</p><p>"Uh, yep, that's what they said." he commented, her narrowing glare making him feel a little nervous, before he stepped inside of her room; he could see a table by the corner of the room, where there was two cushions and a pot of tea, which looked to be fresh, "Oh, we're having tea."</p><p>"Tea makes anyone more amenable to speaking their mind. That's something I learned from my uncle." she noted, before she sat down; he followed her, and sat across from her, awkwardly placing his hands in his lap, unsure what to say or do.</p><p>"It smells nice." he observed, the Princess raising her chin up.</p><p>"Well, I'd hope so." she snidely added, before gesturing to the pot, "Pour yourself some."</p><p>"Uh, yep." he nodded; he heeded her suggestion, and poured some of the tea out- he was pretty sure it was just green tea, but it smelt better than any green tea he'd had before.</p><p>Once he had the cup sitting there in front of him, brimming with the steaming liquid, he turned his eyes back to the Princess, "So... uh, I really don't feel like I'm that much of a prisoner here."</p><p>"I do not want you to escape." Azula stated bluntly the fact of the matter, "By treating you as a guest, I hope you would do me the courtesy of not running away... or swimming. Can you swim?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah. You know yesterday, I swam out into the bay at Kyoshi Island, because I-" he began to explain, before she raised her right hand up, silencing him.</p><p>"I don't care." she admitted bluntly, her glare not seeming angry, but just frustrated, "I don't want to talk about whatever fun you were doing before I showed up on that island." she clarified, "I want to speak about you. Your name is Aang, correct?" she asked him; he nodded in confirmation, the Princess picked up the teapot, pouring herself a cup, "Aang, you are the last Air Nomad. Do you know what that means?"</p><p>"Uh... that the Fire Nation... they killed them." he mumbled, the Princess' serious expression faltering, if only for a split second; perhaps she felt a tinge of guilt, or even regret over what had happened to his people a hundred years prior.</p><p>"They did." she confirmed, "Now, you might be surprised to hear this, but a lot has changed in the Fire Nation, and by that I mean in the past three months." she clarified, Aang scrunching his lips up.</p><p>"What do you mean? Did you... win?" he nervously asked, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</p><p>"We won five years ago when my uncle, former Crown Prince Iroh, conquered Ba Sing Se." she explained with a straight face, though her expression seemed slightly off; she obviously didn't like saying that, but it confused him- he thought she would be happy that her people had won the war, even if he clearly wasn't.</p><p>"Okay, so, wait... what happened?"</p><p>"My uncle became the Fire Lord." she clarified, before placing her hands together, "He's far kinder than his predecessor, and that's why I'm not interrogating you... properly. I'm more than capable of doing so, but I think that my uncle would like to speak with you before we do anything." she noted, the young Avatar narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"But... if he conquered Ba Sing Se... how nice can he be?" he asked her, the Princess scoffing; she looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh.</p><p>"If you met my father and my uncle, you'd understand." she raised a hand, "You certainly don't want to meet my father. He might want to kill you." she noted, making Aang's eyes widen.</p><p>"We're... we're not going to him, are we?"</p><p>"We are going to the Fire Nation Capital. My uncle and father are both there, but as a prisoner of our nation, the Fire Lord is the only one with authority to say what happens to you. I could do whatever I pleased with you, but I am here to serve my uncle, not to destroy you." she explained, the young Air Nomad placing his hands together.</p><p>Azula made him nervous, and not just because she was undeniably pretty, but because she was casually suggesting that her father might want to kill him, like there was nothing wrong with that; he didn't know why the Fire Nation was fighting the rest of the world, but with a casual acknowledgement of murder like that, he knew they had to be bad.</p><p>"So... what did you want to know from me? You said you wanted to know me."</p><p>"No, I want to understand who you are, and if you pose a threat to my nation." she clarified, "I assume that you can only airbend, given that if you could waterbend, it would be far easier for you to escape this ship." she noted, the young Avatar timidly nodding; he didn't want to reveal his own weaknesses, but her deduction skills had already found them.</p><p>"Y-yes." he mumbled, "I really... I really should start learning waterbending."</p><p>"Well, good luck doing that." she smugly noted, "You can't exactly learn it anywhere else other than the North Pole. How are you going to get there?"</p><p>"On Appa." he clarified, before forcing his mouth shut; he really ought to shut up, but he couldn't resist her interrogation tactic, which was really just a roundabout way of having a conversation with her, "I should just shut up."</p><p>"No, no, I'm intrigued. This Appa, it'd be you sky-bison, correct?" she asked him a rather simple yes-no question; he tensed up for a few moments, before nodding, knowing that it was probably easier to just go along with her questioning, "And did your Water Tribe friends take the bison?"</p><p>"I told them to. They'll take care of him while I'm gone." he explained, not wanting to mention the fact that he wanted to get away from the ship, hopefully with his sky-bison's help.</p><p>"Well, you might be gone for some time. You are my prisoner, remember that." she warned him, before sipping from her tea-cup.</p><p>"Can... can I ask why you came to look for me? Was it your uncle that told you to?"</p><p>"No." she shook her head, "It's a family tradition. Ever since Fire Lord Sozin failed to find you when the Air Temples were attacked, members of the Royal Family have gone to look for you; I'm just the first to actually succeed."</p><p>"Oh." he scrunched his lips up, "So, that's it? You want to take me to the Fire Lord because everybody in your family has tried to do it."</p><p>"Well, it's a great way to earn the respect of my uncle and father. I'm only fourteen, but I desire to find honour and respect from the people of my country."</p><p>"I guess... everybody doesn't like the Avatar anymore." he mumbled, cringing slightly, "I was gone for a hundred years."</p><p>"Speaking of which, why are you still twelve? That makes no sense whatsoever. You should be over a hundred years old." she asked him, sounding almost annoyed by the illogicality of it, the young Air Nomad nodding.</p><p>"I mean, I am, but my body didn't age when I was frozen."</p><p>"Frozen." she repeated his last word, perplexed by it; he hadn't explained why he was frozen, and he guessed her next question would cover that topic, "Well, I guess you are the Avatar. If anybody could survive that, it'd have to be you." she conceded, before a knock hit her door, "Urgh, right as I was getting to the interesting part." she snarled, before rising up to her feet.</p><p>She paced over toward the door, and opened it up, "What is it?" she asked the guard who stood there, holding what looked like a scroll in his hand, "A letter? Ah, perhaps the Fire Sages finally got back to me about the glowing statues."</p><p>"Wait, is that how you knew I was alive?" Aang spoke up, intrigued that she had seen that; he hadn't seen the sanctuary's statues glow himself, but Katara had explained to him how their eyes and tattoos had glowed- perhaps other Avatar statues had glowed across the world, and the Princess had seen one herself.</p><p>"Shut up." she raised a hand toward him, not even looking his way.</p><p>"It's a Fire Navy message, your highness." the guard clarified, Azula took it into her hands, and turned around, unfurling it; the young Avatar couldn't see or read it, given the way it was facing, but her expression widened- if she had felt uneasy about Ba Sing Se and the fate of his people, she was utterly terrified by what she had just read.</p><p>She turned back to the guard, "Tell the helmsman to go to these coordinates." she asked the guard, who looked at the scroll, before he stepped back, seeming afraid of what he had just read.</p><p>"By the spirits." he gasped, before he nodded, "Of course, your highness." he accepted her command, before pacing down the hallway.</p><p>She turned around to face him, and Aang scrunched his lips up, a little concerned and confused by what the letter contained, "What's... what's happened?"</p><p>"Somebody has tried to assassinate my uncle when he was sailing to the Earth Kingdom. We're not going to the Capital anymore." she clarified, placing the scroll down on her desk, "I'm going to find whoever's responsible and kill them."</p><p>His jaw dropped, realising her immediate shift in demeanour was caused by none other than fear; the fear of losing a loved one, the kind of fear he hadn't even got to experience- all he had was the grief of losing Monk Gyatso, along with all the other Air Nomads, even if he tried his best to ignore the pain and look forward to the future. The future didn't seem very bright to begin with, if the war really had taken a turn for the worse with the fall of Ba Sing Se.</p><p>"You must really care about him." he noted, as despite the fact he wasn't the kind of person to kill somebody for another's sake, he could certainly understand the anger that she was feeling; it was the same that Katara had when she spoke about her mother, even if she had never had the chance to save her to begin with, just as he hadn't with Monk Gyatso.</p><p>The Princess clenched her fists, and straightened her expression, moving to sit back down across from him, "I won't have them get away with it. My uncle is the most important person in the world," she argued, before narrowing her eyes, "and you're the second-most."</p><p>"Is that why I have to see him?" he asked Azula, who raised her chin up, almost sounding annoyed by the question itself; perhaps it was a little too self-evident for her to have to address.</p><p>"That's exactly why."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Love And Lies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Wow. When did you learn to do that?"</em>
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  <em>Azula smiled brightly at her cousin, confident that she was, above all else, a great firebender. Showing off her wall of flames, she could tell that Lu Ten was impressed; her flames were potent and powerful, and had nearly knocked him right off his feet when she created it. It was a relatively simple form, but most firebenders couldn't create defensive forms any more complicated than a fire shield, which essentially consisted of throwing up a bunch of flames in front of oneself and hoping that an enemy couldn't break through it.</em>
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  <em>"A few weeks ago, Cousin." she clarified, before smirking, gesturing for him to move on her and continue their spar, "Are you afraid of me now?" she prodded him, making him scoff.</em>
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  <em>"I'm not afraid of a seven year old girl." he retorted, before retaking his stance, "Are we going to continue our spar, or are you just going to stand there and gloat?"</em>
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  <em>"Gloat?" she scrunched her lips up, unsure what he meant by that, "Uh, yes, I think I will." she decided, thinking it was suitable to the emotion she was feeling at that very moment.</em>
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  <em>"Okay then." her cousin simply nodded, before conjuring a fire stream out of his right palm, sending it right toward her chest; she rolled under the attack and sent a few small fireballs toward her cousin's legs, hoping to trip him over.</em>
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  <em>He grunted as he was hit in the shin by one of her fireballs, but he immediately responded by flicking his foot upward, creating an arc of flames which fired up toward her face. She crossed her arms, before throwing them upward, which created another wall of flames, a little less impressive than the last one; if she was to spar her cousin, who was nearly an adult, and thus, was a fair bit stronger than her, then she'd want to conserve her strength. She might have been stout, but her firebending was irrefutably powerful. He couldn't disperse her fire whip that she conjured, grasping him by the arm; she then charged forward, hoping to kick him in the chest, knowing such a hit would hurt, and thus, incentivise her cousin to forfeit.</em>
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  <em>She was about to kick him, when he turned around and used the very same move on her; obviously he had learned it long ago, given his age, and unlike her own technique, if didn't just block firebending, but her leg as well, when she tried to hammer it into his chest. The flames licking up her leg made her reflexively draw back, despite her desire to finish the kick; when in pain, even she couldn't maintain her resolve. She cringed back, and patted down her right pant leg as she stumbled away, falling down onto her behind; Lu Ten opened his arms wide, with a rather cocky look on his face.</em>
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  <em>"You're not the only one who knows a thing or two about firebending." he warned her, before his expression softened, obviously realising that his attack had hurt her, "Did that hurt?" he asked her, leaning over to offer her a hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It did hurt, but she didn't want to say anything; she was the strong one, the indomitable one. That's what her father had told her. She had to be strong, otherwise she was just like her brother. He didn't get any attention from her father, or at least far less than she did, and she knew why. He couldn't firebend well, he couldn't take a hit, and he didn't fight with all his strength. She whacked away her cousin's hand, not wanting him to think she was hurt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula." he addressed her with a soft voice; nobody else spoke to her like that, not her brother, or her father, "I know it hurt. You don't have to just sit there and act like I didn't just set your pants on fire." he suggested, the Princess turning her gaze away from him, trying remain serious.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Uncle was usually too jovial and carefree to get all emotional around her, but he was a little better than the others; Lu Ten on the other hand, he actually showed it. Those raw emotions she knew she couldn't; her father would think her a weakling if she did, and she knew that when Zuko got hurt during training, Ozai would chide him for sobbing over his injuries.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knelt down beside her, "Are you okay, Azula?" he asked her, "I mean, other than me burning your leg. I'm sorry about that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know, Cousin." she mumbled, before turning her eyes toward him, "I'm strong." she told him, as if saying it would make it true; if the strong weren't meant to feel pain, then she obviously wasn't strong.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You can be strong and not just... well, I don't know what this is, but you look like you're trying very hard to ignore your pain." he observed, before he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Do you need to get it checked at the infirmary?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know. It hurts a little." she admitted, before rising up to her feet; she realised when she tried to properly move her leg, as in when she tried to take a step, she felt a stinging pain along her shin and calf, most sharp just above where her boots ended, "Ow." she muttered under her breath.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lu Ten grasped her by the back, before he hoisted his arms under her legs, lifting her up into his arms; she realised only at that moment how much bigger he was than her physically, and it reminded her that despite her strengths, she still was just a girl- a child. She didn't want to be a child, to be seen as incapable. She knew she wasn't as smart as all the adults she knew, especially her father, but she knew that she could become smart; if they didn't give her the opportunity to learn, then she would never be like them. Powerful, strong and capable of fighting for her nation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'll take you to the infirmary, Zula." he assured her, the Princess turning her eyes away, ashamed that her cousin had even picked her up- she wasn't a baby, she didn't need to be coddled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't treat me like a baby, Lu Ten." she argued, making him chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're not a baby, you're a girl." he assured her, "And you're tough too. You aren't even crying." he observed, the Princess narrowing her eyes; to cry was to be like Zuko, and if she was going to focus on being anything, it was to be not like him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not a little baby like Zuzu. I don't cry." she argued, the Prince's expression softening, almost as if he was saddened to hear that; she didn't know which part was sad, the fact his nine year old cousin sometimes sobbed and cried like a baby whenever their father chided him, and it was made all the more disgraceful as Ozai usually did so with good reason.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Crying doesn't make you weak, Zula." he assured her as he began to walk along toward one of the doors back into the palace, "And Zuko isn't a baby. He's just... well, he isn't treated right."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's weak, Cousin." she argued, "Have you seen his firebending? I'm sure there's been nobody worse than him in this palace than him for a hundred yearsǃ" she argued, her cousin shushing her with a finger to his lips.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not so loud. You don't want the servants to see me carrying you, do you?" he asked her, the Princess nodding begrudgingly; he turned his gaze ahead, and his eyes narrowed, "And he's not the worst firebender."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then who is?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Me." he argued, "I was like Zuko once... luckily for me, I just didn't have anybody to compare with. But my dad showed me how to be a good firebender. Better than any of those snooty tutors did." he explained, making her eyes widen; she couldn't believe what he was saying- he was a great firebender, perhaps not as good as her uncle or father, but he was far better than her or Zuko.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're lying. I know you were better than him. How can you be so good now if you were like that?" she asked him, the Prince sighing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because people grow and change, Azula." he assured her, his warm smile taking away her doubts; he believed he was weak once, maybe like Zuko did, and he had changed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But he's not going to get better." Azula argued, "Father keeps chiding him, but all he does is get sad, brood and play with his swords."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's actually pretty good with those." Lu Ten offhandedly commented, before straightening his lips, "He'll take his time. Zuko's not... well, he's got to learn. He's not as fast as you, Azula."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know that." she stated rather snidely, knowing that to be a well understood fact, "Father says he shouldn't have even been born." she added, knowing that fact was a little unusual to say aloud, given the circumstances of her own birth; she didn't know he mother, not one bit, but she knew that something had to have been wrong, despite her firebending- she didn't know what it was, and it scared her, even if she'd never talk to anybody about it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your father's wrong." he added, "He's not infallible, Azula."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Infallible?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He isn't always right." he clarified the meaning of the word, "He tells you all these things about being strong, and you are strong; but being strong doesn't make you right, but it does make you responsible."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What..." she scrunched her lips up; even Iroh wouldn't get to such a topic when he talked to her, and he certainly liked to talk about a whole range of things, from trivial to extremely serious, "What are you saying, Cousin?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Strength and responsibility go hand in hand. The Fire Lord's meant to be the strongest person in the world, and that means he's meant to look after his subjects and use his strength to protect his nation." he explained something she had already heard before, though how he had phrased it, that was a new thing, "You're stronger than your brother... in some areas, but you shouldn't just look down on him. You should look after him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why would I do that?" she scoffed, "He's mean and a sook." she argued, the Prince sighing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you don't like Zuko, and I know... he can be a little mean at times." he noted, observing the fact that her brother was, at times, probably just as mean-spirited toward her as her grandfather was towards her father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A little?" she asked him, "Zuzu said I should have died." she argued, making his eyes widen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He said that?" he asked her, the Princess nodding; it wasn't a lie, even if it sounded like one coming off her tongue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He might have deserved to be chided for his weakness, but she couldn't believe she deserved to be dead; she might have been in some way the cause of their mother's death, but she didn't choose it, just like she didn't choose to be born into their family.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He did." she stressed, crossing her arms, "He doesn't even think that's mean. He thinks he's right."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He isn't." he assured her, "What happened to your mother... it was terrible, but it wasn't your fault, Azula."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then who's fault was it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know. Maybe nobody's. Things just happen sometimes. Bad things especially." he acknowledged with a timid face, before he turned his gaze ahead, gesturing toward the infirmary, which they were approaching, "We're here, Azula." he noted, "Do you want to try and walk now?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She nodded, and he lowered his right arm down, allowing her to drop her legs down; she cringed as they touched the ground, but she remained upright, not wanting to look like she couldn't handle that little bit of pain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can do it." she declared triumphantly, "Let's go, Cousin."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sorry about Zuko." he admitted, before offering her a hand, "I'll see if my father can talk to him about that. It's... it's just not right."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then what is?" she asked him, genuinely wanting to hear his opinion; if her father wasn't always going to be right, then maybe at least Lu Ten could fill in the gaps.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Forgiveness." he argued, "If you can forgive him, and he can... tolerate you, then maybe you might be able to get along."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I-" she mumbled, before turning her eyes toward the infirmary; she didn't want to forgive Zuko, because that in and of itself would make her feel weak, but at the same time, she wished that he would be nicer- she didn't want to be his friend, but she didn't want him wanting her dead either, "Maybe if he wasn't so jealous of me, then maybe he'd be nicer."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sometimes you've got to take the first step, Azula." he acknowledged, before gesturing toward the infirmary, "And sometimes, it hurts. But you've got to clench your fists, and take the next step. Are you a quitter?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She shook her head and took the very step he spoke of literally, all while she wondered about the one he spoke about more figuratively; Zuko was mean, and she didn't like him, but she knew that if they were going to stop disliking each other, one of them would have to do something.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not a quitter." she assured him, before smiling, knowing that for all he'd told her, she ought to at least thank him, "And you give good advice, Cousin." she noted, making him smile at her brightly, patting her on the shoulder before grasping it, ready to help her walk along.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's the best thing you can say to me."</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Iroh didn't know how long he'd been awake for, and at that point, he didn't care; his arms were sore, covered with burns and blisters from being thrown around by the mind-explosion assassin, who had attacked him and his men once again. He'd commanded the Imperial Firebenders to flee by foot to the north, while he drew the assassins into the woods; he just hoped it had been worth it in the end, knowing that if all his loyal attendants and guards had died, that would be on him. He knew he ought to have run off earlier; the danger of remaining around people was far too great, but Iroh realised that he didn't learn his lessons easily.</p><p>It had taken Ba Sing Se to open his eyes to the horrors of war, in a way that he could really understand; he wished it hadn't taken Lu Ten's death for him to gain his wits, but that was what it had taken. Thinking about his son made him clench his teeth, so hard that it hurt; he was not feeling for his son, who he knew was with the spirits, and at peace, but his nephew, whose life was in danger. He needed to save Zuko, and make sure he didn't get himself killed for the same reason his attendants might have been; he was loyal, and Iroh loved his nephew- he was a good man, better than he had been at his age, even if he was misguided in some areas.</p><p>His feet hurt as well; he knew that he'd have to rest eventually, but he could not give up yet. He had thought jumping into a river would save him, and allow him to lose the assassins, It didn't work, and he was forced to trek deeper into the wilderness; he knew that there might be some Earth Kingdom villages nearby that he could seek refuge in, but he knew for a fact they wouldn't like the Fire Lord showing up at their village. They had a reason to fear him, and it was two-sided; he was both the man who conquered Ba Sing Se, and the son of the autocratic monarch who had laid waste to their country for nearly eighty years, and had practically destroyed an entire nation.</p><p>He was so disgusted by what his father had done in the end, that he was surprised that he hadn't stomached overthrowing him himself; he knew he could have done it, especially before Lu Ten, before he had lost his fighting spirit. He was still a great firebender, but Iroh did not want to fight; he did not want the Fire nation to continue their war, and despite knowing he might have to, he did not want to kill Ozai. He was a cold, callous man, but he was just as much a product of their father's disturbing mind as the Southern Raiders were.</p><p>He pushed thoughts of his brother from his mind, knowing that even if he was responsible for the assassins who came after him, he was not the most present threat to his life at that very moment. He almost would have preferred if Ozai had challenged him to an Agni Kai; it would have been a lot simpler that way, and at least then, if he was destined to die, he could at least do it with some dignity. He was sore, and he was tired; to think that he was suddenly preferring the idea of killing his brother in a duel over it suggested to him that he was really in pain. His feet had to be bleeding; that was what it felt like, at least. He'd experienced marches in the army, but it was nothing like what he was experiencing at that very moment. He reached a hand out to a tree, holding it and taking a deep breath; he would need his breath to be steady if he was attacked again- his firebending depended upon it.</p><p>"Don't give up." he chided himself, "Zuko's counting on you." he told himself the fact of the matter; even Lady Mai had been the one to send him that letter, he could see his nephew's emotions, his fears, just through how it had been written- he wanted Iroh to succeed, and he would do it for him.</p><p>He pushed onward, despite the pain in his heels, and the burns on his arms stung with every brush of wind; he hated it, and wished he could just lie down and sleep, but he knew that wasn't an option. He was not pushing on for his own sake, but for the sake of his country, and Zuko's too; he had to find a way to get rid of Ozai, and he knew his options were limited. Getting back to the palace was going to be dangerous, given that he had failed to kill the mind-bending firebender.</p><p>He didn't think it was possible, and at that point, he'd given up trying. The Order of the White Lotus was his next option, and he just hoped that they would be able to do something; warn Zuko, at the very least, or find a way to get rid of Ozai. He was running out of time, and he knew he needed to get to Bumi; he was the closest member of the organisation, and their meeting had been intended to discuss what the Order could do to try and organise a proper peace, the kind that would last.</p><p>The Fire Nation's domination of the world was unnatural, but letting everything fall into chaos would be just as bad; Iroh desired to remove suffering from the world, at least as much as he could, and did not presume that a simply reinstated Earth Kingdom would be any better than his father's reign. They had killed his son after all, and the sons of his nation, they had killed many of theirs; it was a to and fro that didn't have an end in sight, and Iroh had played his part and paid his price all the same. Peace would be a struggle to achieve, and Iroh knew that it would be a long road ahead, no matter what path he decided to take; he had to lead his nation to a better future, so his niece and nephew could inherit a Fire Nation better than the one he had.</p><p>His attention was drawn by what had to be a smokestack, from either a campsite or a house, just off in the distance, by the top of a nearby hill; he wondered whether he ought to approach, but he knew he didn't have many options. He had to rest, and even if he was to be captured, he'd certainly prefer to be captured by the Earth Kingdom than by the men who wanted him dead. He slowly approached, trudging up along the hillside, where he could see little evidence of his pursuers; he assumed that he had gotten ahead of them, given that there were no tracks about, despite the fact that there were a large number of men on his trail. He knew he couldn't waste the chance, and made his way right toward the smokestack; he was exhausted, but he couldn't pass out- he had to keep moving, no matter how much the aching in his legs told him otherwise.</p><p>When he reached the top of the hill, he realised that he was at some kind of Earth Kingdom farmhouse, given the barns and pens he could see, as well as a few fields of vegetables and grains. He wondered if they would immediately recognise him; he was lacking much of the robes and ornaments that signified his position as the Fire Lord, given he had been wearing only his under robes when the Royal Barge was attacked, and said robes were torn and dirtied from all the walking and fighting he had done. He grit his teeth, his right leg falling underneath him, and he dropped down onto his knees; as he panted with exhaustion, his breathing shallow and almost pained, he realised that it was late in the afternoon- he'd been walking all day, and now, he had no idea if he was going to be able to find anyone before he passed out. For all he knew the inhabitants of the farm could be off at a market, or eating their dinner. He decided he could only press onward, and hope that somebody was home.</p><p>He stumbled forward, making his way down the other side of the hill, out of the woods and toward the nearest building. He wondered if he ought to just hide in a barn and not bother speaking to, and thus endangering the inhabitants of the farm; he knew that if they were kind, they might help him, and at least give him somewhere to rest before he moved onward. When he reached the wall of the barn, he leaned himself up against it and groaned, slumping down to sit himself down in the dirt; he didn't care for the filth, not when he was about to pass out. He heard footsteps in the distance, and tensed up; he didn't want to have to fight some peasants, people who were completely undeserving of what might come their way.</p><p>Suddenly, a teenage boy appeared in his field of view; he was probably a few years younger than Zuko, and seemed very concerned by the exhausted Fire Nation man sitting by his barn's wall, "D-Dad!" he cried out, "Somebody's hurt!" he exclaimed, before moving toward Iroh, understandably cautious; he reached his hands out, and waved them over his face, "S-sir, are you... okay? What happened to you?"</p><p>"People..." he mumbled, before groaning, "They want to kill me." he simply told him the truth, the boy's eyes widening with fear.</p><p>"Wh-what did you do?"</p><p>He almost laughed at his words, and made a small smile, "Nothing." he whispered, "Please, I- I need some water. Do you have any? That would help... a lot."</p><p>The boy nodded, and paced off, back out of view; a few moments later, an adult male appeared, presumably the boy's father; he was a fair bit younger than Iroh, and had a thick black beard, and wore his hair in a topknot. He was obviously confused by the Fire Lord's presence, though he doubted he knew his identity.</p><p>"Who... what are you doing here?"</p><p>"Hiding." he told him the fact of the matter, "I'm running. Well, not anymore. I can't run." he admitted, the man turning around.</p><p>"Tao, get this man some water!" he asked of his son, who was already doing just that; he returned a few moments later with a bucket of water and a small cup.</p><p>"I'm sorry if this doesn't taste that good. It's just from the well." he explained, the Fire Lord nodding; he would appreciate it no matter the taste.</p><p>He scooped the cup into the bucket and swilled it down; it did taste a little dirty, but not so much that he couldn't drink it. Upon it touching his lips, he realised how much he had needed it; perhaps it was the dehydration and not the exhaustion that was really getting to him.</p><p>"It is good water." he assured the boy, "Thank you." he simply bowed himself forward, before filling the cup up once more and taking another swig.</p><p>"What... what happened to you? Who are you hiding from?"</p><p>"Bad people." he simply acknowledged, "They want me dead." he added, before sighing, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "I apologise... I shouldn't have come here, but I... I'm very tired."</p><p>"No, no, it is alright." the man acknowledged, placing a hand on Iroh's shoulder, "You can rest here. Will you need to continue moving?" he asked the Fire Lord, who forced out a nod; even if he didn't want to, he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.</p><p>"I must." he admitted, "I can't put your family in danger."</p><p>"What kind of people?"</p><p>"The kind nobody wants to fight." he admitted, the man's expression becoming clearly more unnerved.</p><p>"I..." he mumbled, before turning his eyes away, "Should I send my family away... while you're here?" he asked him, the Fire Lord grimacing.</p><p>"If it can be done... I recommend it." he acknowledged, "I can't... I can't protect myself, let alone you all." he admitted with an exasperated voice, "I need to find my-" he began, before cutting himself off, knowing he couldn't say any more; he did not want to out himself as the Fire Lord.</p><p>"Who? Who are you?" the man asked him, and his eyes turned away; he didn't want to tell him who he really was, but he knew there might be something that would resonate between the two of them.</p><p>"A man who doesn't want anybody else to lose their families." he acknowledged, the man's expression softening; Iroh took another swig from his cup, and the man rose up to his feet, and nodded.</p><p>"I will get you a blanket and a change of clothes. They might not fit, but they'd be better than those rags." he acknowledged, making the Dragon of the West smile.</p><p>"Generosity is a great virtue. I am sure you are a good father."</p><p>"Do you have-" he began, before turning his eyes away, "Did you have a son?"</p><p>"Y-yes." he mumbled, wincing at the thought of Lu Ten, "I have a nephew, too. I want to protect him, but I can't do it here."</p><p>"You are a long way from anywhere." the man acknowledged, making him chuckle.</p><p>"Well, I must be away from those people who were chasing me." he deduced, before sighing, "I have to- I have to find some friends of mine. Do you know how to get to Omashu from here?"</p><p>"Omashu?" the man's eyes widened, "Uh, it's a long walk, if that's what you're wondering." he noted, the Fire Lord smiling.</p><p>"I guessed that. I just need some directions."</p><p>"That place is under siege, I don't know why you'd want to go there." the man noted, telling him something Iroh was already well aware of; he was the one who had overseen the plans for the siege to begin with, even if his father had been the one to order it.</p><p>He had wanted Iroh to finish off the Earth Kingdom, something that he was not going to do. The legacy of Fire Lord Azulon was something he had little care for, not when most of that legacy just seemed to be confounding misery upon those who did not deserve it. His thoughts moved to the Order of the White Lotus, and what they might be able to do; what they could all achieve together, for the greater good of the world.</p><p>"As I said, I have a friend." he admitted, before his attention was drawn by the man's son, Tao, who had a few rice crackers in his hand.</p><p>"I guessed you might be hungry." he noted, Iroh making a small smile.</p><p>"I'm famished, but those crackers will do." he acknowledged before taking them into his hands, "Thank you." he simply acknowledged, before turning his eyes to the man, "I will leave by tomorrow morning. I swear it. I will not let them come for your family."</p><p>"Who... who's coming?" Tao asked them, his father shaking his head and gestured toward the farmhouse in the distance.</p><p>"Never mind. Go to your mother and brothers, and get this man a blanket. Tell them we need to be ready to leave." he asked of his son, who grimaced at the suggestion, before nodding.</p><p>"Yes, Dad." he accepted his wishes and paced off away from them.</p><p>"How dangerous?" he simply asked the Fire Lord.</p><p>"The vicious men, led by a bender that even the Avatar would fear." he acknowledged, the man's eyes widening.</p><p>"The Avatar." he whispered, before turning his eyes toward Iroh; he blankly looked at him for a few moments, before he scrunched his lips, "Haven't you heard?"</p><p>"Heard what?"</p><p>"I heard that the statues at a temple near here glowed. The eyes of the past Avatars." he explained, the fire Lord's eyes widening; he had not expected that, and the only thing his mind could be drawn to was what his niece would do.</p><p>The Avatar had returned, or at the very least, had come out of hiding; the glowing eyes meant that their connection with their past lives must have been activated. And then he considered that he had sent the one person who was likely to be able to find the Avatar and succeed to do just that, all when he wanted to establish peace. If the Avatar ended up in Ozai's hands, then that little bit of hope the world held would be gone for good.</p><p>"That's... that's news." he acknowledged, the man nodding, though his eyes showed that he wasn't exactly happy about the news.</p><p>"The Avatar's been gone for a hundred years, but now they've returned. And the comet is going to come back." he acknowledged, turning his eyes away, glancing in the direction of the farmhouse, "I don't want to know what the Fire Nation's going to do when that happens."</p><p>Iroh didn't want to answer the man's question; that would only bring unnecessary anguish and fear, when he himself was completely capable of stopping the horrors his brother intended. His attention was more easily drawn to the fact he had just learned, and its implications. Azula was going to find the Avatar, sooner or later, and all he could think about was how to make sure his niece didn't do the wrong thing; he hoped that she would spare the master of the elements, whoever they were- the last of the Air Nomads, he assumed. His niece was not the kindest girl in the world, but she was not of malicious intent; just like he had when he was her age, she sought to serve her nation. He could only hope that that 'service' was not the same kind Ozai had in mind.</p><p>"My niece, please be better than him."</p>
<hr/><p>Mai knew something was wrong; Zuko hadn't just asked to speak with her for no reason, and his panicked paces as he led her up to the edge of the caldera, somewhere they could be away from people- anyone who could hear what he had to say. She first thought it might have something to do with the Avatar, who she'd learned had returned, at least according to the Fire Sages; it was probably the biggest news since the Fire Lord's passing a few months earlier. However, his nervousness suggested it wasn't that, and there was only one thing she could presume if it didn't have to do with the Avatar, it would have to do with his uncle.</p><p>She knew they had only sent their message less than a week prior, and given the distance, it was going to take some time for them to learn if it had been any help. She hoped that Iroh was alive, knowing that the anguish that would bring to Zuko would not be any good, for either himself or the Fire Nation as a whole. He and Azula were both rather emotional, especially when it came to their loved ones; though she hadn't understood it very well at the time, the death of their cousin Lu Ten, who they were both close to, was a very tough thing for the two of them. Given Zuko knew exactly who was responsible, he mightn't even try the legalistic route of removing his father from power; in his fury, he might just try and murder him, something she wouldn't put past him- if Ozai was willing to kill his own brother, his son would be more than capable of killing him.</p><p>When they actually got out of the city, she decided she ought to actually ask him, knowing the possibilities were going to make her panic; if there was one thing Mai didn't want to do in front of Zuko, it was losing her cool. Her stoicism and calmness had its benefits, and they would be lost if she grabbed him by the shoulders and demanded to know what had happened. If Iroh really was dead, then both of their lives were still in danger, given their letter could have been retrieved by the assassins, if the Fire Lord's body was retrieved or his quarters searched. They were walking up a narrow gravel path which led them up to the rim of the caldera, which they'd be able pass through via a dip in rock formations, allowing them to look out over the countryside. She decided that they were far enough from anyone by that point and she had to know.</p><p>"What is it, Zuko?" she simply demanded of him, her voice monotonous, disguising her unease, "I know something's wrong if we're going all this way to speak in private."</p><p>"It's Uncle." he simply told her, "He's not dead, not yet."</p><p>Her expression softened, relieved by the news, before she straightened her lips, remembering that the threat of Ozai understanding their complicity in his survival was still present, "Does your father know about the letter?"</p><p>"No." he shook his head, before he continued on ahead, walking, toward the dip in the caldera rim, where she could see the light of the afternoon sun peeking out through it, forcing her to raise her hand up to cover her eyes.</p><p>"What does he know?"</p><p>"That his assassination attempt failed. The Fire Navy was told of the attack, and that men imitating Earth Kingdom soldiers were behind it. Firebenders. He knows that Uncle knows whoever attacked him was Fire Nation." he clarified, before narrowing his eyes, "I don't know if Uncle even received the letter. It might have come too late."</p><p>"If he didn't see it, maybe we'll be safe." she deduced, "Then he won't come back to fight your father." she argued, "If Ozai knows that Iroh knows, he'll come to conclusions."</p><p>"My father isn't an idiot, that's for sure." Zuko admitted, "I wish he hadn't done this... but he did." he acknowledged; he was obviously conflicted over the fact that he was going against his father, even if he didn't like him that much.</p><p>"If Iroh knows... then it's only a matter of time, Zuko." she admitted, "Ozai's going to come for us, and he has the power to do so. All those conspirators, the Imperial Firebenders, they'll follow with whatever he wants." she warned him, having figured out that they had little chance of winning even if they revealed Ozai's duplicity- they didn't have the evidence, only the threat of it, so for that moment, all they could do was wait.</p><p>"Then we'll have to leave." he simply concluded, "I mean, we don't have much of a choice. My father will have someone kill us to keep his actions secret." he acknowledged the rather disturbing situation they were in.</p><p>Mai did not like her own father very much, given how he had treated her as a young child, but she knew he was incapable of such heinous things; to kill one's own child was a disgusting thing, and even if she didn't personally hate Ozai, the picture Zuko had painted for her was one that she found to be despicable and ruthless.</p><p>"How... where?" she asked him, "Should we try and find Azula?" she suggested, knowing that his sister was probably the only person with the acumen and resources to help them make sure Iroh was returned to his throne.</p><p>"She'll like to abuse this situation for her own ends." he simply told her, the suspicion in his voice unmissable.</p><p>He feared what Azula might do, while in Mai's eyes there really hadn't been much to suggest she'd even side with her father when it came to Iroh; she spoke of her uncle with familiarity and respect, in stark contrast to the subservient relationship she had with Prince Ozai.</p><p>"Zuko." she addressed him, "There's nothing to say she won't help us. She likes your uncle, doesn't she?"</p><p>"She wants to be the Fire Lord more than anything." he argued, making her narrow her eyes; though he didn't speak about it as much as his sister did, at least when she was still in the capital, she was certain Zuko had the same intentions, even if he didn't want to be the Fire Lord until he was a grown and wisened man.</p><p>"So do you." she simply told him what she believed to be true; he didn't take it very well, and stopped walking, turning to face her with a clearly annoyed expression.</p><p>"Are you saying that I'm like her? We're nothing alike. I want to serve my country, she just wants to rule it like it's her play-thing." he argued, making Mai roll her eyes; she had expected him to get defensive about it, but she knew that the issue had to be addressed.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure that's just what you think." she argued, "I'm not saying she should be Fire Lord, but is she really wanting to do it for selfish reasons? She's been told her entire life that she was destined for the throne by your father."</p><p>"Because that's what he believes. But he isn't always right... actually, he's wrong more than not." he argued, "She's filled with all his lies, and thinks she'd be a great Fire Lord. She thinks that we're all just barriers in her way."</p><p>"She doesn't hate you." she argued, "She told me that."</p><p>He turned away, "She doesn't hate anybody. She just sees everyone as a tool. We're not to be cared for or hated. That's why she lies as much as she does; she doesn't care about the truth either, just about power." he argued, making her shake her head; Mai knew he was filled with just as many lies about Azula as the Princess was herself, and she knew that Ozai was responsible for what she was hearing- Zuko had been prodded into hating and thinking the worst of his sister, because it was in his best interests.</p><p>"That's Ozai." she argued, "She's her own person, Zuko. I know that you think she's this evil person, but she hasn't really done anything to suggest she wants to kill you all and become the Fire Lord." she warned him, before placing her index finger on his sternum, "Are you really going to fall for all of that? You sound crazy."</p><p>"I'm not crazy." he retorted, "You just don't understand."</p><p>"No, Zuko, I do." she argued, raising her voice only for a moment, before she forced it down, "Just try and look at your sister without all those... things you think her to be. She can help us, you know it, and you don't want her help, because it'd hurt your pride."</p><p>"It'll hurt more than my pride. What if she just outs me to Ozai so she can get me out of the way?" he argued; Mai sighed, and turned her gaze away- he had to be able to see a better possibility if he was going to accept that Azula could help them.</p><p>"Even if she does that, she'll know. And once she knows, she'll be able to stop him. Do you think she'll go along with his insane plan? Do you think she'll stand by while he tries to kill your uncle? She doesn't want him dead, does she?"</p><p>"I don't know." he admitted, and with that she crossed her arms.</p><p>"No, Zuko, you do know. She won't. She loved your cousin. She loves your uncle. She will help us." she assured him, "And if we don't tell her, I'm pretty sure Ty Lee will anyway."</p><p>"We told her not to do anything unless I'm... dealt with." he admitted with a timid voice, and she narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that despite what they had told her to, her friend would not stand by while help could be found.</p><p>"And if Azula meets her, do you think she'll really be able to keep her mouth shut?" she asked him, the Prince sighing, turning his eyes around, looking back across the Caldera City, toward the palace; he obviously knew what she did- the acrobat was a girl who wasn't overly skilled at keeping the truth in her head, especially when it came to friends.</p><p>"She wouldn't be Ty Lee if she did that."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Knowledge Is Power</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"What are you doing here, Azula?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Princess pursed her lips upward, suggesting to Mai that she did have something to discuss; it wasn't like her to show up without reason, though she wouldn't be surprised if she simply wanted somebody to talk to. Ty Lee wasn't around, having gone off to the circus a few months prior, so she considered that perhaps Azula was bored and wanted to socialise. Of course, she'd never said she was bored, and would argue that she was always trying to become a better Princess, and that she trained and prepared herself for leadership every single day. She knew that would be a lie, but she would say it, no matter what.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, can't I have a chat with my friend?" she asked her, making her roll her eyes; she had no issue with them talking, but Azula going all the way to her house, presumably by herself, was a little out of the ordinary.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You can." she confirmed, before gesturing toward her bed, "You can sit there, if you want." she suggested; she heeded her suggestion, and sat down, and the Princess turned back her way, looking rather pleased with herself- perhaps it was good news.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did something happen?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, nothing's happened yet." she noted, before her expression became more serious, "My grandfather is quite ill at the moment. Uncle says he might only have a few days left."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Fire Lord is about to die?" she asked her, finding herself surprised that they were discussing that matter of all things; from what she knew, Azula didn't like her grandfather, though his death was obviously important, given it would push her up the line of succession.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I don't know." she admitted honestly, "But I assume so." she acknowledged, before smirking, "I'll be third in line to the throne."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know that." Mai retorted, having already heard it a million times; the Princess was excited to be getting closer to the throne, and thus, the responsibilities she believed to be afforded to her, ignoring the fact she was fourteen years old, "Is that what you're here to talk about? Being more important?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not really." she clarified, "I actually wanted to know how you are going."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She narrowed her eyes, finding the question to be rather suspicious; she didn't think Azula to have much ill intent in asking it, but she knew that she liked to snoop around- what exactly she wanted to know was beyond her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's... an odd question of you to ask." she admitted, before gesturing to her desk, which she was standing beside, "School work, you know... the same boring stuff I've been doing for the past nine years." she clarified, before sighing, "My father's been grumbling about not being nominated for his plan to take Omashu. You know, because he thinks he's a master strategist."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's not terrible." Azula acknowledged, before chuckling, "I did snoop over some of his documents a few weeks ago."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course you did." she noted, "Has your Uncle mentioned Omashu? Who's taking charge of the operation?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." she shook her head, "It's not really the kind of thing my uncle and I would discuss. I'd assume that the war council is taking control of the operations." she clarified, before pursing her lips upward, "You didn't want to discuss the military strategies of the Fire Nation Army with me, did you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, when my father doesn't shut up about it, it's a little hard to get out of my head." she admitted, the Princess raising her chin up slightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A bit like firebending."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Lo and Li, or your father?" she asked, the Princess cringing slightly; obviously she was in a rather similar situation, except it wasn't her father's career, but the expectations Prince Ozai held of her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"All of them." she admitted, before raising her hand up, looking at her nails "I prefer my military history tutorials, because at least I'm not hearing the same things over and over again. Lo and Li can be such bores at times."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They're two old ladies who like to creepily speak over the top of each other." Mai observed, "I'd prefer to listen to a crying baby."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How is Tom-Tom? I didn't see him when I walked in."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He must be sleeping." she deduced, before narrowing her eyes; her baby brother wasn't that annoying, though it was a little unusual to be dealing with a baby when she was already a teenager- she'd never had a sibling before, and watching her mother coddle him, she would almost say she was jealous, "And he's alright. He's a happy baby, always laughing and playing with stuff he shouldn't be."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, so you have that in common." Azula noted, making Mai furrow a brow; she certainly wasn't happy as a child, at least not openly, and by the time she reached adolescence, she had grown to be stoic and serious, the kind of image that her friend told her she wished could emulate- it took practice and a unhealthy amount of fear, so she had told her that it was not the right thing to wish for.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wasn't happy." she argued, the Princess raising a finger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I meant the playing with stuff you shouldn't be. I have a great memory of an eight year old Mai stealing cutlery from the school's canteen to throw them like darts." she reminded her, making her smile, if only for a moment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I was bored. You bullying the other girls into submission got boring pretty quickly." she argued, making the Princess smirk.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think you chose a brilliant hobby. I assume your father doesn't approve of it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's more concerned about me trying to stab someone if I get annoyed. He fails to understand that I don't lose my cool."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you did, you wouldn't be Mai. You'd be Zuko." she clarified, making her cringe; the Fire Nation Prince was quite a reactive and temperamental person, at least in comparison to his sister.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He gets angry about two things. Firebending and..." she began, before cutting herself off, knowing she shouldn't mention the second thing he would claim to be the source of his frustrations- his own father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father." Azula deduced, Mai not even having to finish her sentence for her to figure it out, "He's just jealous."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know he is." she agreed with her, before she glanced over to the window, "He's not even that bad at firebending."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, he's not great either." Azula argued, "I'm far better, and you know it. Everybody knows it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe I should warn him about Lo and Li. Then maybe he wouldn't be so jealous." she suggested, making the Princess laugh.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, he doesn't like getting chided, so he'd hate that." she noted, before raising a finger to her chin, "Has he been complaining to you much lately?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The usual." she admitted, her straight face faltering for a moment; Zuko was getting worse when it came to his jealousy over Azula, and she had a feeling that if nothing was done about it, things would flare up sooner or later, "He went on a tirade about something your father said about Lu Ten. He's obviously on edge."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Grandfather is about to die. He knows that my father doesn't want uncle to be the Fire Lord." she stated, as if it was a well-understood fact; Mai didn't discuss such matters with Zuko, but she was rather surprised how willing Azula was to address it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes narrowed momentarily and she looked over toward the window, "And with what he said about Lu Ten... I can agree with Zuko."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That your father was wrong to say he was a failure?" she asked, the Princess nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My cousin fought for his country. He died in the name of our victory over the Earth Kingdom. My father hasn't fought for his nation like Lu Ten did." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes; she seemed to be rather angry about it, but she was keeping her cool- she wasn't as good as Mai, however, and she could see through the cracks of her visage of coolness.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, you two can agree on something." she noted, making the Princess chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think Lu Ten is about the only thing we can agree on." she admitted, the sound of pain in her voice audible; whether it was the fact her brother hated and despised her for no good reason, or that her cousin had died in the first place, Azula was not happy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She hadn't really seemed to be happy since then, at least not how she had once been. She could almost say Azula was cheery and bright-eyed when she was a little girl, but the girl before her was a shadow of that; pent up with feelings of sadness, fear and anger, all tied up with her cousin and how her family life had turned out. Mai was lucky, given that her parents, though strict and demanding of her, didn't seem to get worse; if anything, her mother and father had become softer, and a little more considerate, ever since Tom-Tom was born, though that was probably because they were more focused on him, and thus, were more lenient. Maybe it was because they cared less about her, but she decided to push that thought away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Mai, you seem troubled." Azula observed, and she narrowed her eyes; she wasn't going to falter in front of Azula- she didn't want her to think any less of her, to think that she couldn't handle what life had thrown her way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm fine." she retorted, perhaps a little too snappily, as her friend straightened her posture, and seemed more intrigued; she didn't press the issue, however, and turned her gaze toward the door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I want to get out of here." she admitted, Mai raising a brow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My room?" she asked her, before smirking slightly, "Did you want to go off and make some trouble?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I didn't mean your room." she admitted, "I want to get out of the palace."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are your tutors really that annoying?" she asked her, making the Princess snicker.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, they'd follow me anyway. I don't think I'm going to get out of my firebending training even if I left the palace." she argued, before her expression became more serious, "But I do want to go out there. I need to serve my country."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mai furrowed a brow, realising that those words were rather euphemistic; service to the Fire Nation could only mean one thing, "In the war?" she asked her, the Princess shaking her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There's not much of a war left to fight. I know that there's things that need to be dealt with, however." she admitted, before smiling, "Hopefully I can make use of my uncle's future position as Fire Lord."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What, are you going to ask him for an army?" she asked, amused by the rather absurd, but realistic possibility.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, just a ship." she admitted, before rising up to her feet, "I best leave you to your homework, it sounds like you've still got some to deal with."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Urgh." she rolled her eyes, "Don't remind me." she sighed, looking over to her desk for a moment before she turned her gaze back to her friend, "I guess this is goodbye. Are you going to make any more unexpected visits?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, if I told you about them, they wouldn't be unexpected, would they?" she suggested, before striding toward the door, "I may. We'll see what happens in the next few days."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A coronation and a funeral." she deduced, given what she had said earlier, making the Princess raise a finger to her chin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How do you think I'll look in white?" she asked, making Mai narrow her eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm really not the person to be asking about fashion advice."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You like dark red, and that's about it." Azula observed, before she made a smug smile, "Well, I think it might look pretty." she suggested, before she raised her hand up to clarify, "Not that I think it'll be better than my royal armour."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you even have an excuse to wear that?" she asked the Princess, who pursed her lips upward.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just might, soon enough."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Azula understood that emotion and firebending were well and truly intertwined; one could not have firebending without emotions, and yet, with too much, or too erratic an emotional state, one might find oneself unable to control one's firebending. She was in control. but barely, as she trained with her guards; the thoughts of what had happened to her uncle were running through her mind, and she kept imagining what she was going to do to those responsible. She wanted to remain calm, and focus on keeping her breathing steady, but she couldn't help herself; the emotions were boiling away inside of her, demanding to let out.</p><p>So, she let those feelings loose, in the form of flames coursing from her hands, mouth and soles; each form she used was more powerful than she expected, and she compensated by trying to limit the size of her attacks. It didn't do her much good as she continued to batter her guards; they were more than capable of defending themselves, but that didn't mean that they were ready for what she had in store for them. Two fire streams were sent right toward her head at the same time, and she immediately raised her hands up, sending the flames up above her; they turned into a mixture of blue and orange, and she struggled to hold onto them, and decided to retaliate instead of continuing to hold the flames off. she reminded herself that she was a firebender; strength was her best weapon, not redirection.</p><p>She made a wide sweeping kick, which sent a flat arc of flames out toward the legs of the Imperial Firebenders who surrounded her on the deck. She saw them move into defensive stances, and knew that her restraint had been a boon; she didn't actually want to injure them. Not because she didn't want to go all in her training, but because she knew if she was about to go after the men who wanted to kill her uncle, she would need every available man to help her. Her attacks held them back, even if only for a moment, before she was able to move onto her offensive; she sent a volley of fireballs toward the guards, which were almost blindingly bright, coursing out from her fists, and striking each of her guards in the chest.</p><p>They were pushed back, but all of them were able to maintain their footing; she decided after another of her guards tried to hit her with a fire blast to the chest to retaliate properly, and spun her foot around, charging a fire blast on her heel, before she sent it out, knocking said guard right off of his feet. The loud bang he made as he hit the deck monetarily distracted his comrades, before they moved to attack her again. Three of them sent fire blasts toward her at once, and she raised her arms up, creating a wall of flames around her, before she curled her arms in; she took a deep breath, before she let her flames out, creating two cutting arcs which sliced through her own defences and into the Imperial Firebenders.</p><p>She then charged two fire streams in her hands; holding them in for a few moments to build up momentum, before she launched herself up into the air, two jets on her heels helping her ascend even higher before she looked over the deck; she created two fire whips, one in each hand, and used them to strike two of her men down onto the deck by grappling them as she fell back down to the deck. Now, standing right in front of two of her guards, she shot both of them in the chest with two rapid fire blasts, disorienting them, before making a low spinning kick, which sent an encroaching wave of fire into their legs and forced them off of their feet.</p><p>The Princess then turned around, kicking her foot right toward another one of her guards who she had disoriented with her previous attacks; he raised his arms up to defend himself, but was too slow, and was knocked over by the fire blast she sent out of her heel. She immediately dropped down, dodging the inevitable counter attack by the Imperial Firebenders, before she spun herself around, creating another wall of flames, this time in all directions, the flames temporarily blinding her.</p><p>She pursed her lips upward, ready to finish off her guards, who tried to break through her defences, to no avail; she dispersed the flames, sending them outward, momentarily distracting them while she reanalysed her surroundings. There were three guards on either side of her, and she decided to attack the closest group with a few fire blasts in quick succession. The flames forced them back, and onto the defensive; one of them tried to send a fire stream toward her, but she raised her right hand up, parting the flames before spun her hands around, redirecting the flames instead right back toward the guards.</p><p>He stumbled back in fear as he tried to create a fire shield to defend himself from the fire stream, and she pursed her lips upward, "How feeble." she mocked him, before sending her own fire stream toward him, throwing him right off his feet and into his comrades who stood beside him.</p><p>The other two guards barely held their stances, and failed to hold her next attack off; a few light volleys, mostly to keep them occupied while she took advantage of her guards position on the deck. Azula jumped behind them with the help of her firebending; they might have thought she was intending to attack them in close-quarters, as they turned around, but that was really just a distraction.</p><p>The other three guards who were still able to fight had moved to attack the Princess, but had instead attacked their comrades with three fire streams at once; the attacks knocked them over, and their grunts suggested to her that the flames had hurt, whether from the heat or the force of the attacks. She then retaliated with her own fire streams, two coming out of both of her palms; the flames forced them to move closer to each other, all raising their arms up to create their own defensive wall of flames.</p><p>Having inadvertently blinded themselves, Azula took advantage of this by charging toward them and conjuring two fire whips, which she threw forward, grappling the legs of her guards as soon as their defences were lowered. Though they resisted, throwing their arms forward to attack her with fireballs all at the same time, this didn't do much, as she was far too agile to be hit by their attacks. She then finished them off with a wide sweeping kick, the blue flames that coursed out of her sole throwing them back across the deck, right into the railing.</p><p>She nearly winced at the sound of their armour striking the railing, but more than anything felt relieved in the result of her spar; she had beaten them thoroughly, which assured her that she was ready to face those who had tried to kill her uncle. She was yet to reach the coordinates given in the message, but she was sure that within a day, she was to arrive, and thus, would have to face whatever she found there.</p><p>A servant paced over toward her with a towel in hand, "Your highness." she bowed down toward her, the Princess taking the towel into her hand, and wiped the sweat from her face.</p><p>"Have the spa prepared for me." she ordered the servant as she handed her the towel, "I will go to it as soon as I have had my morning tea." she explained, the servant bowing.</p><p>"Of course, your highness. It will be done." she stressed, the Princess turning her heels at once, pacing toward the staircase that led down into the hull of the ship.</p><p>She needed to go have her tea, as well as talk with the Air Nomad boy she assumed would have already been escorted there; ever since he'd come aboard, he'd been rather timid, though she couldn't tell if that was his temperament or had more to do with the circumstances. In appearance, he was twelve years old, which was only two years younger than herself, and she assumed that his youth made him naive and immature. He had acted rather properly so far, but she couldn't be sure what his intentions were; Aang was the Avatar, but he had had little training or understanding of his role, and thus, was a lot less of a threat to her nation than a fully-realised Avatar.</p><p>It wasn't that much of a walk down the staircase and along the hallway, where she passed by another of her guards, who bowed toward her in respect; she assumed that he was the one to have escorted Aang, given that he wasn't off training with the others. She passed by the room he'd been staying in, and the door was open, revealing that the room was indeed empty. Azula quickly reached her own room, and opened the door up at once, and noted that the young Avatar was standing by her desk, looking over a number of scrolls, which he must have taken out of the drawers. She rolled her eyes, frustrated by that fact people never seemed to understand personal space, and continued to look through her things.</p><p>"What are you doing?" she narrowed her eyes at him, placing her hands on her hips; he looked up at her, his expression surprisingly serious.</p><p>"How did you get these?"</p><p>"Answering a question with a question is rather rude, you know." she raised a finger up, before she gestured it down toward the scrolls he had pulled out, "Those aren't yours to touch."</p><p>"They aren't yours, either." he retorted with a cold glare, "You stole these from the Air Temples, didn't you?"</p><p>"Well, it's not really theft if nobody's owned them for a hundred years. They were just sitting around. Some of them I did... appropriate from some Earth Kingdom refugees, but that's beside the point. They weren't going to appreciate them."</p><p>"Appreciate them?" he scoffed at her words, "You've taken some monk's diary, and even some of the masters' airbending scrolls. They don't belong to you."</p><p>"Then who do they belong to, hmph?" she pointed toward him accusingly, "To you?"</p><p>"To nobody." he declared, his glare surprisingly angry; that anger was laid with an undertone of regret, which she assumed came from the fact he was the last of his people.</p><p>His shoulders slumped down, "They're nobody's." he admitted, before his eyes narrowed at her, "But you still shouldn't have taken them." he argued, crossing his arms, before he turned his head away.</p><p>"And what, just let them rot away and get blown away with the wind. I've been trying to learn from your culture before everything was lost." she argued, making him look back her way, now seeming more confused than angry.</p><p>"So you could find me?"</p><p>"To begin with, I did." she acknowledged the truth of the matter, "But I realised that understanding these scrolls is far more useful to see into the minds of your people. To prepare myself to meet you."</p><p>His glare became noticeably more suspicious, "You want me in prison. The whole Fire Nation wants me gone because I'm the only one who can stop them."</p><p>"I want to take you to my uncle." she argued, crossing her arms, "And you can't stop the Fire Nation. We've already won the war."</p><p>"So what..." he began, before turning his head around, glancing toward the table that sat on the other side of the room, "Why am I here?"</p><p>"Because I came to capture you." she answered his question as bluntly as she could.</p><p>"No, I mean... why am I here, in this room?" he asked her, "I don't know you... but I've heard about the Fire Nation. I don't know why you even want to talk to me."</p><p>"Because I want to understand you and your people." she clarified, making his expression soften; she gestured over toward the table, "Just sit down at the table. We're meant to be having tea."</p><p>"Uh." he glanced back around at the table, "Okay, we can do that."</p><p>"That wasn't a request." she narrowed her eyes at him, "Sit." she ordered him, the young Air Nomad moving over to the table, before he sat himself down; he glanced back over toward her, his expression suggesting he was a little confused as to why he was there in the first place.</p><p>"Where's the tea?"</p><p>"Coming." she clarified, "I already told the servants that I was having it. So, they'll be here soon." she explained, before straightening her face; she was being far too polite with the Avatar- she had to at least retain a visage of stern coldness if she wanted to extract the information she desired.</p><p>She strode over toward the table, and sat down across from him; the Air Nomad boy was cautious in his posture, but he didn't seem very afraid of her- merely suspicious. She could work with his suspicion, because there were things they could talk about; things that might alleviate any unease he had about being with her. It was not that she desired to make him an ally of her nation, but rather, to ensure that he was not their enemy. She had come on her journey of presuming she'd be dealing with an old and vengeful Avatar, who would want to hand down retribution upon her nation, at the very worst; she'd gotten the best case scenario- a mere boy who could only airbend, even if he had the latent abilities that could make him a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>"Am I meant to say something?" Aang spoke up, making her raise a brow; she realised that given her position of power, she ought to be the one asking the questions.</p><p>"No, I am." she clarified, "I will ask the questions, and you will answer them." she decided, the young Avatar nodding, though he seemed a little uncertain about it.</p><p>He probably thought he was being interrogated, and he wouldn't be completely wrong to assume that; despite her intention to learn from him, she was not going to force an answer out of him by coercion. She did not want to earn his ire, nor make him unnecessarily skittish around her; she wanted him to be an amenable prisoner, just as she hoped that in future, he would be amenable to her nation, and that if the worst case resulted, she might be able to reach some kind of agreement with him. She did not want to see the boy before her become the doom of the Fire Nation, if anything.</p><p>"Why didn't the Fire Nation find you?" she decided to ask him, thinking that after all they'd done to the Air Nomads, it made little sense that the Avatar himself was missing from the dead.</p><p>"Because I..." he began, before turning his eyes away; he was ashamed of whatever he'd done, and that intrigued her further, "I ran away."</p><p>"From the Fire Nation?"</p><p>"No, from the monks." he admitted, his expression becoming more uneasy, "They were trying to control my life; take away my only friend and my childhood. So I got on Appa and flew away."</p><p>"And then, somehow you found yourself frozen for a hundred years." she acknowledged the most absurd part of his story.</p><p>She believed it, if only because it was the only reasonable explanation to what she saw before her; a twelve year old Air Nomad Avatar, who by all accounts, should have been one hundred and twelve years old, which he was, but not in body.</p><p>"A storm." he admitted, "A storm dragged us into the water, and I think my past lives saved me, but I was frozen there for a hundred years, and it was like they never happened."</p><p>"That must have been quite disorienting." she observed, placing her hands between her, resting her fingertips just in front of her chin, "And your Water Tribe friends found you, I assume."</p><p>"Sokka and Katara freed me." he confirmed, before grimacing, "They're probably really worried about me now."</p><p>"They needn't worry." she assured him, "You are not in danger here."</p><p>"The tough looking firebenders that walk down the halls say something different." he noted with a grimace, making the Princess smirk.</p><p>"Well, they're here to ensure my safety... from you." she clarified, making his eyes widen.</p><p>"Wait, from me? I haven't done anything."</p><p>"It's called a precaution." she narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't you know what you're capable of?" she asked him, her question obviously rhetorical; she knew he had to understand the extent of his powers, even if he couldn't comprehend their nature- she wouldn't deride him for that, seeing that she couldn't too.</p><p>"I've heard." he simply responded, "Sokka said it was very scary."</p><p>"Well this Sokka fellow mustn't have much guts." she joked, before crossing her arms, "You are dangerous, Aang, even if you would profess to say you would never kill a person, let alone harm an animal."</p><p>"I wouldn't." he stressed, something she had expected him to do; he was an Air Nomad, after all, and Air Nomads loved their pacifism- that was part of what spelled their downfall, "But... they might think otherwise."</p><p>"Have you communicated with them?" she asked him, to which he shook his head.</p><p>"Not really. I felt something-" he began, before narrowing his eyes, "Should I really be telling you this?"</p><p>"Well, it depends on whether you trust me, Aang. I am a reputably good liar, but I can assure you that if I wanted to lie my way to woo you, I would have introduced myself in a very different fashion." she stressed, "I would have showered you with gifts and given you a feast."</p><p>"Yeah, the food really hasn't been the greatest." he observed, making her narrow her eyes; she was torn between feeling offended or glad that he was willing to be blunt with her- bluntness would get her straight to the facts.</p><p>"So you don't like Fire Nation cuisine?" she inquired, the young Avatar shrugging his shoulders.</p><p>"Well, it's not bad. I just think it's too spicy." he noted, "You need more variety." he suggested, making her scoff.</p><p>"I'm not going to personally plan your meals while you're on the ship; if you really have some complaints, go to the head cook. I doubt they'll listen, given they really have no reason to. You aren't the person who can banish them for making a poor meal."</p><p>"Have you- have you done that?" he asked her, the Princess raising her right hand up, glancing at her nails, which shone rather prettily with the little bit of light that came through the window into her room.</p><p>"I have learned to restrain my contempt for incompetence. I will banish individuals when they truly anger me." she clarified, remembering what she had done to Lo and Li, "Those who harm my efforts to achieve my goals."</p><p>"Am I... harming your efforts?" he asked, his voice understandably nervous; her cold glare could make anybody squirm, even the master of the four elements.</p><p>"Well, I can't exactly banish you, Aang. You're the person I've travelled around the world to find." she acknowledged, the young Avatar's eyes widening.</p><p>"How long were you looking for me?"</p><p>"Only a few months. I know that luck must be on my side because you appeared when I needed you to." she noted, pursing her lips upward, "Father was right."</p><p>He was obviously a little confused by her words, but before he could ask her what she meant by her words, a knock hit her door, "Ah, the tea's here." she observed, before clapping her hands, which signalled the servant to enter; the door was pushed open, and before her stood a servant girl, who was holding a tray with a teapot on it, along with a bowl of spiced rice crackers.</p><p>She bowed her head down in deference as she approached, before kneeling down, placing the tray down on the table between them; she placed the teapot and the bowl down, and proceeded to pour some tea into each of the cups that had been placed on the table already. Azula had already prepared the table herself, though she wouldn't dare mention it; she knew that was a job for servants, and couldn't dare denigrate her position as a Princess. Once the servant picked up the tray, she raised her hand up, the closest thing to a thanks she'd give the servant; Aang, however, was seemingly far more inclined to be polite.</p><p>"Thanks for the tea." he grinned at the servant, who seemed a little unnerved by being directly addressed; she nodded, before turning around, taking the tray with her as she moved back to the doorway.</p><p>She pulled the door shut, moving it slowly to make sure it didn't slam; the metallic clicking noise that was made as the door's lock shut indicated that they'd be alone again. She turned around, and eyed her teacup, before glancing back up at the young Avatar, who was sniffing the cup with interest.</p><p>"They make good tea here." he acknowledged, making her smirk.</p><p>"Well, of course they do. It's my ship. I wouldn't dare let them serve me bad tea." she assured him, the Air Nomad boy nodding, before he narrowed his eyes.</p><p>"You said your father was right... the same father you say might want me- uh- dead." he observed, making her cringe slightly; she realised that saying that might incentivise the boy to flee, which was exactly what she desired to avoid, "Right about what?"</p><p>"That I was born lucky." she declared, before her smile faltered; she didn't know why her father said it.</p><p>Whether it was to agitate her brother, or to acknowledge the circumstances of her birth, she was unsure. All she knew that was that luck had come at a cost, the kind of cost she didn't really understand; she had never met her mother, because she had died giving birth to her. Iroh had spoken highly of her, but she didn't know whether to trust his judgement on the matter; he hadn't known her as well as her father had, and even then, he didn't speak of her. He avoided the topic of her existence like it was some kind of disease to be frowned upon.</p><p>"Born lucky?" he scrunched his lips up, "Like some kind of prophecy-" he began, before his eyes widened, "You don't mean he thought you were going to find me? Like it was your destiny."</p><p>"No, because I was born with great firebending potential." she clarified, "I don't think my father had considered the Avatar and my destiny until I brought up my decision to travel the world to find you." she added, explaining her doubts on her father's foresight; he was no idiot, but he was rather narrow minded about what he wanted in his children.</p><p>She didn't think her father had some kind of amazing vision of her future, he'd just heard some kind words from the Fire Sages, who were probably very worried about him having a fit after finding out his wife was going to die. Perhaps it was the only good thing that had come out of that day; it was a great firebender that he had wanted, and he received her, at the kind of cost that made it sound like it was almost on purpose- that her mother was some kind of sacrifice. The thought disturbed her, and that was something; she was not a person to be easily shaken, but that idea, it made her feel disgusted- like her very existence was an abnormality.</p><p>"Is..." he began to speak, breaking her from her chain of thought; she immediately picked up the tea cup in front of her, and began to sip on it, to make sure she didn't have to answer any questions he might have.</p><p>Once she finished drinking from the cup, she placed it back down and bore a fake smile, "It is good tea. Please, drink up." she suggested, the young Avatar cringing slightly, before he picked up the cup, forcing out a smile; he'd seen it, that was what she was sure of. </p><p>She wanted to snarl, angry that she could have even let him see her mask falter, but he had; she had thought too much about her father's words, and let down her defences, even if only for a few moments.</p><p>He drank down the tea, and placed his cup down on the table, "It is good." he agreed, his words sounding a fair bit more sincere than her own, before he scrunched up his lips, "Are you afraid of something?" he bluntly asked her.</p><p>"No." she stressed, "I'm not afraid of anything."</p><p>"Everybody's afraid of something." he acknowledged, before turning his eyes down to his teacup, "I'm afraid that I might... I might not be a good enough Avatar." he acknowledged with a rather timid voice; given he'd been frozen for a hundred years, it made a lot of sense that he'd be concerned about that.</p><p>"That's a reasonable fear to hold." she crossed her arms, before narrowing her eyes, "But I have no need for fear. I have control."</p><p>"And I... well, I don't have much." he noted, pouting slightly, "I won't be able to leave this ship, will I?"</p><p>"You will leave to come with me to meet my uncle." she clarified, "There is an end to this journey. And it isn't your friends coming to save you."</p><p>"Katara and Sokka are coming." he acknowledged, "I don't think they'll want to fight you, though."</p><p>"So, like any intelligent individual would, they'll stay away." she declared, pursing her lips up slightly, "I assure you, it's better if you stay here and don't stir up any trouble."</p><p>"For you." he noted, almost smirking, though her cold glare warded him from making such a move, "I don't want to get you angry. That lightning was scary." he conceded, the Princess smirking at the thought of his fear; she could intimidate the Avatar, the one person everyone ought to be afraid of, so she concluded that she had to be a very intimidating individual, something she took much pride in.</p><p>"Smart move." she raised her chin up, before picking up her tea cup, "You might be able to outwit my guards if you try hard enough."</p><p>"Really?" he asked her, almost seeming excited by the idea; she was more than ready to shoot down that suggestion.</p><p>"Of course not. You're a twelve year old boy." she retorted, "Or a very immature a hundred and twelve year old man." she added, knowing that was a technically correct way to describe him.</p><p>"I'm not that immature." he spoke up, making her laugh, and rather mockingly at that.</p><p>"Oh, really?" she raised her tea cup up to her cheek, "And how did you get caught by me, then?"</p><p>"Uh... I didn't run away fast enough." he concluded with a slight pout; she found the idea to be hilarious, given the whole fighting style of Air Nomads was about avoiding fights, which he clearly hadn't done.</p><p>"Well, that's just sad. I thought that was the one thing you Air Nomads were good at."</p><p>"I am good at it." he retorted, puffing his chest up, "You just wait and see." he declared, making her roll her eyes; she hadn't even needed to interrogate him to learn that, just to agitate him by mocking his abilities- she thought that in future, she might try that as an interrogation tactic.</p><p>"Telling your enemy that you intend to trick them is a sure way for your trick to fail." she explained, before clearing her throat, "Or as my uncle might say: to withhold the truth is to keep your strength."</p><p>"Is that an actual proverb?" he narrowed his eyes at her, obviously confused by her words.</p><p>She was simply saying something that her uncle might say, not actually quoting one of his many proverbs. The idea that she could be witty enough with her words to create a proverb herself was something that brought her pride, and she pursed her lips upward as she placed the tea cup back down on the table.</p><p>"It is now."</p><hr/><p>Upon hearing a knock on his door, Aang was sure something had happened; it was after lunch, and Azula had already told him that she had things to deal with, so he knew that she wasn't going to 'interrogate' him again. He would admit that their conversations were rather unusual, and that for somebody who was meant to be his captor, she was rather polite; he was glad she was being straightforward at the very least, but it was a little unnerving.</p><p>He had no idea what was going to happen with her uncle, who from the sounds of how she described him, seemed like a kind-hearted and well-intentioned man; he was less looking forward to having to deal with the Fire Nation as a whole, knowing that the war was still a big problem that he had to deal with. He didn't know exactly what he had to do, but he was sure he had to do something; his past lives hadn't told him anything yet, but despite that, he understood the new world that he had found himself in. It was so wrong, and he knew that somehow, it had to be corrected.</p><p>He rose up to his feet, and approached the door, and before he could do anything, it opened up; one of the Princess's guards were standing before him and due to his intimidating helmet, he couldn't see his facial expressions, but his tone was rather suggestive on what was going on, "The Princess wants you out on the deck. Your hands, please." he asked, showing that he had shackles in his hands.</p><p>Aang grimaced, not wanting to put them on; no matter how well-mannered Princess Azula was, he needed to get off her ship and back to his friends as quickly as he could. That wasn't going to be very easy if his hands were shackled, but he thought it wasn't impossible. He decided to accept it, knowing that it was better to get out onto the deck and thus, a little closer to freedom; they had to be getting close to wherever her uncle was, and thus, were likely about to move into port.</p><p>Once he offered his hands out, the guard shackled them, and then gestured down the hallway, "Follow me." he simply told him, and with that, he did.</p><p>He made his way down the hallway, and remained quiet; the guard didn't speak to him and that was no surprise. He and all the others seemed to take their jobs very seriously, and unlike Azula, had no time for chatting. He led him to the staircase, where he was forced to cover his eyes; he hadn't been outside in a few days, and the light out of his tinted windows just wasn't the same. He cringed from the glare, but once his eyes readjusted, he just smiled, glad he could see the bright blue of the day-lit sky.</p><p>He glanced around the deck, and realised that their ship was indeed approaching port; it was a rather large stone pier that jutted off from the coastline, connected to a fortified outpost that reminded him somewhat of some small villages he'd seen in the Fire Nation, though it seemed a lot more dangerous than any of those. The thought of Kuzon made him smile for a moment, and noted for a moment how he missed his friend; he missed all his friends, and he was saddened by the thought he wasn't going to be able to see him, or anybody else that he used to know.</p><p>The guard let him along, and he noted that there were a number of servants and guards on the deck, which made him guess that they were about to go resupply their ship; they obviously needed food and fuel for it to keep on running, and that wasn't even considering the fact the Princess needed to reach her uncle. His life was in danger, from what he had heard, and she was obviously very worried about him; he felt that kind of worry assured him that despite her cold glares and seriousness, she was like any other person- she had fears, and she wanted to make sure her loved ones were alright. He turned his gaze to Azula, who was standing on the deck with her hands behind her back, wearing the same armour she had when she attacked Kyoshi Island. She turned her gaze around to face him, and her serious glare suggested that it was no time for chit-chat.</p><p>"Good, you're here." she observed, before she turned around, glancing back toward the pier; Aang could see some people walking down toward the end- perhaps they already knew the Princess was the one commanding the ship, and had come to pay their respects.</p><p>They must've recognised the ship before them; it was very fancy, and he guessed that only members of the Royal Family were permitted to use them. Looking amongst the individuals that approached the end of the pier, though they were rather far away, he could tell that all of them were soldiers. He couldn't see anyone as fancy or intimidating as Azula's guards, nor anybody who fit the idea of being the Fire Lord in his head. That told him that the Fire Lord was either not at the port, or he had simply sent the people before them out to meet them; maybe he had been injured in the assassination attempt the Princess had spoken of. That was probably part of the reason she was so concerned; she tried to act really cool and suave, but he could see through that. She was a lot better at it than Sokka, who at the very least tried to act tough and serious, but she wasn't that stoic.</p><p>As the ship slowed down to a standstill, he noted that a metal gangway was being pulled out by some of the sailors onboard, who immediately moved toward the gap in the railing to put the it in place; once the anchors dropped, with a loud splash on either side of the ship, the gangway was dropped as well, and put in place. He heard some mechanical sound, presumably the metal gangway being locked onto the ship's deck, as to prevent it from slipping down into the water below.</p><p>The Princess strode down the gangway, flanked by her guards, one of whom grasped Aang by the arm, taking him along; he heeded their pushes, and followed after her of his own free will. When they reached the pier itself, he immediately turned his attention to the men who had come to greet them; one of them, an older looking soldier, with graying hair and a goatee, stepped forward and knelt down toward Azula, an obvious act of respect.</p><p>"Your highness, I welcome you to my port." he simply addressed her.</p><p>"Is he here?" she simply addressed the matter she had sailed there to talk about, "At least, do you know where the men who tried to kill him are?" she asked, the fearful gulp coming from the soldier.</p><p>"Your highness, I bear terrible news."</p><p>The Princess clenched her fists, and stepped forward, stopping him from saying what Aang could only guess to be an apology for the very death of the Fire Lord; he didn't want to come to that conclusion, but the unease on the man's face said it all.</p><p>"Where... where are they?" she asked him, the soldier's eyes widening.</p><p>"The reports we have assume they are still located to the south of us. Their ship was scuttled by the efforts of the Fire Lord's men." he explained, the Princess gesturing for him to rise to his feet.</p><p>"What happened to my uncle? Is he dead, is that it?" she demanded of him, the soldier's expression turning to one of near pain.</p><p>"His majesty is missing in action. There were many fatalities, and the men had to flee northward. They only reached our base last night." he explained, the Princess narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"They fled?" she almost scoffed, "Without their Fire Lord? They ought to be executed for treason at this very instance." she demanded, making Aang tremble; she must have really held a lot of respect toward her uncle if she was willing to have his men executed for failing in their duties- the kind of respect that permitted murder.</p><p>"Your highness... they were told to flee by the Fire Lord himself." he explained, "He drew away the enemy while the others escaped."</p><p>"So where is he?" she narrowed her eyes, the soldier's eyes darting down.</p><p> "We have no idea, but our scouts are out searching the wilderness for him." he explained, the Princess sighing.</p><p>"Well then, does that mean he's presumed dead?" she asked him, the soldier nodding.</p><p>"We cannot be certain... but until he's found, your father is now the Fire Lord." he explained, making her raise her chin up.</p><p>"I'd like to speak with his personal guards." she explained, "I will not stand for this. Ensuring the enemies of our nation are found and annihilated is of utmost importance." she stressed, the soldier nodding, before he turned around.</p><p>"Of course, Princess Azula. My men and I will take you to them at once. I warn, they aren't-" he began, before she raised her hand up to cut him off.</p><p>"Do not refer to me as Princess Azula." she demanded, the soldier's eyes widening with fear.</p><p>"My apologies, your highness." he bowed down in respect, "I mean no disrespect."</p><p>"No, I wish to be referred to as Crown Princess Azula." she demanded, the soldier's lips scrunching up.</p><p>'But your highness, Prince Zuko is-" he began, before the Princess gestured back toward Aang.</p><p>"Did Prince Zuko successfully capture the Avatar?" she questioned him, the young Avatar cringing with fear; he hadn't thought about it that much, just trying to process what he was learning, but he was in serious danger if her father was the Fire Lord, "No. I did. I am the Crown Princess; it is my right in light of my great victory."</p><p>"Uh, maybe not." Aang cringed back, catching the Princess's attention, as well as that of her guards.</p><p>"Excuse me?" she raised a brow, shocked by what he had just said, "You are my prisoner."</p><p>"Not any more." he decided, "I don't want to get cooked alive by Fire Lord... uh, whatever your dad's name is." he admitted, making her clench her fists; she was ready to go ballistic at him, and flames appeared in her palms.</p><p>"You have no where to run, Aang." she warned him, her guards grasping him by each of his arms, "And it's Fire Lord Ozai." she clarified, making the young Avatar cringe for a few moments, before he thought of something to say, to stall her from pouncing to knock him out, or worse.</p><p>"Well, you see... I learned a new trick on Kyoshi Island." he explained, making her raise a brow, striding closer, creating a jet of blue fire in her closed right fist.</p><p>"And what would that be?" she asked him, the young Avatar cringing back; all he needed to do was blast her guards away, and he could make his move.</p><p>He waited for her to get closer, before he threw his hands down, sending out a blast of air, which threw her guards back, breaking their grip on him.</p><p>"You little shit." she snarled, and immediately moved toward him, and he raised his hands up, funnelling air past his palms right toward her fist; the blast of air snuffed out her flames, and he almost sighed with relief, but decided there was something more important to address- a small, but considered farewell.</p><p>"I hope your uncle's okay. If I find him, I'll tell him you're a good niece." he simply acknowledged, before slamming his hands together, twisting them around to create a gust of wind which he directed right below his feet, throwing the Princess and her guards back.</p><p>Without a second thought, he blasted himself up into the air, jumping right off of the pier, and out onto the water; kicking his legs up, he created two jets of air underneath his feet. Though he obviously couldn't fly without the use of his glider, he certainly could stop himself from sinking into the water. He pushed his feet down and just as he guessed they would, stayed right above the water's surface; he would start to sink if he didn't start moving, which he did. Aang raced as fast as he could across the water's surface, and a few moments later, he heard the agitated voice of Azula shouting out.</p><p>"Knock him out!" she demanded of her guards, and he looked back momentarily to notice a few fire streams, one of them blue, heading right toward him.</p><p>He grit his teeth and raced as fast as he could; with his bound hands, he couldn't use their motion to further speed himself up, and was forced to cringe with fear as the heat of the flames encroached upon him. Despite that, he was quickly moving across the cove, right toward the shoreline opposite the pier. He'd need to run south, and hopefully, he could find Katara and Sokka on Appa, who must have been flying some distance behind the ship; they obviously didn't want to get shot down by Azula's men, so they were going to stay some distance away.</p><p>His sky-bison awaited, and with it, freedom, and all he had to do was make sure the Princess didn't try and burn him to a crisp before he got to his friends. She was scarily powerful, but he knew that there was one thing Air Nomads were good at above all else, something she'd reminded him of- evasion; he was going to need to do a lot of it if he wanted to stand a chance against her men. The strength of the Fire Nation came from their unrelenting resolve, so he'd need to find his own strength to match; he mightn't have known how to do it, but he was sure that as long as he could run, he would do his best to right his wrongs. Avatar Aang was going to save the world, and there was nothing anybody else could do about it.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. A Higher Honour</h2></a>
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  <em>The sound of his two cousins shouting at each other wasn't something strange to Lu Ten, and he realised that that ought to be concerning him; even if he hadn't had a sibling when he was their ages, he understood that it was not normal to be as conflictive as they were. So, being the self-righteous cousin he was, he decided to intervene in Azula and Zuko's argument. All he had heard of note was something about his cousin's swords, and then something about firebending; they were arguing over who was the better fighter, from what he could tell. </em>
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  <em>Then he stepped down the hallway toward the courtyard where he could hear them shouting, he eyed their shadows that came through the openings between the pillars, telling him that they were moving around a fair bit. He certainly didn't want their argument to get violent; even if they were only nine and seven years old, respectively, he knew that they were both rather inclined to use their fists, their firebending, or a mixture of the two against each other. They usually didn't even spar each other, but rather, informally beat each other up; he was just glad it hadn't happened at a family meal, given how he could expect his uncle and grandfather to react.</em>
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  <em>When he made sight of them, he noted that there wasn't any flames, at least not yet, but his elder cousin had his dao swords slung over his shoulder; Lu Ten assumed he'd been practicing or at least wanted to, and then Azula had showed up, or perhaps it was the other way around, but he couldn't be certain either way. They were snarling at each other, and the younger of the pair looked ready to dish out some insults, when her expression shifted to one of surprise, as she noticed her cousin standing there. Zuko obviously noticed this, and turned around to see him too; his expression too changed, and he looked nearly ashamed, though he could see that his anger had clearly not subsided.</em>
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  <em>"Cousin." Azula mumbled, before she dropped her hands, which she had raised up toward her brother, as if she was ready to punch him, "Uh... what are you doing here?"</em>
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  <em>"Coming to stop you two from setting each other's hair on fire." he told them the blunt fact of the matter.</em>
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  <em>Zuko shrunk back, a cringed look appearing on his face, "Please don't tell Dad about this."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wasn't going to." he made a smile, trying to be as convincing as he could; he understood his cousin's fears when it came to his father, and he had no intention of telling his uncle about what he had just seen- he didn't really have to if neither of them hurt the other, "Okay, you can start with telling me why you were arguing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why does it matter?" Azula snapped back at him, "Zuzu's just a little cry-" she began, before he raised his hand up; he didn't want her riling up her brother any more than she must've already by that point, so he hoped that by warning her, she wouldn't make that mistake.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was surprised by what happened next, however; his cousin cowered back, almost reflexively and raised her hands up. She thought that he was going to hit her, and that did nothing to dissuade his fears; they only got worse upon making that realisation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wasn't going to hit you, Azula." he stressed, his eyes wide with fear, "I wouldn't do that." he assured her, making her posture loosen, which assured him that she was no longer afraid; knowing that he still had to get to the bottom of the issue, he eyed Zuko, "Why were you arguing?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She thinks I'm bad at everything." he explained with an understandably spiteful voice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I never said that." Azula glared him down, crossing her arms; Lu Ten couldn't be sure if she was lying, so he decided to inquire on that very issue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you telling the truth? I won't be angry if you tell me." he assured her, the Princess scrunching her lips up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I said Zuzu was a bad firebender and that's why he spends his time with his swords." she explained to her cousin, who raised his chin up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko is free to spend his free time doing what he wants. If he wants to practice his swordsmanship, then he can." he decided, arbitrating that issue rather simply, "So, Azula, could you try to not make him feel bad about it? I know that's probably just something your father has said. You can't just repeat everything he does."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned her eyes away, looking to be considering his words, before she nodded, her expression slightly uneasy, "He did say something like that." she admitted, "But he's not wrong."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you want me to burn your face off?" Zuko snarled at her, both of his open palms filling with fire.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko, stop." Lu Ten demanded with a stern voice, and with that, the flames in his palms dissipated, "I know you're angry, and I can understand why." he admitted, "Azula, just because somebody says something doesn't make it true." he explained, his cousin crossing her arms, before she raised her chin up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So if you said Zuko wasn't not a good firebender, then I could say you're wrong." she decided, making him roll his eyes; for somebody whose feet didn't touch the ground on a raised seat, she was very good at deconstructing information, and in this case, to her advantage.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, you're right there." he conceded, "But I'd still argue against what you've said to your brother. He is not a bad firebender. Everybody learns at their own pace. You're just a prodigy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, I'm better." she declared, seemingly in triumph, her brother glaring her down, not seeming to be any angrier than he was before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I never said you weren't." Zuko admitted with a cold, spiteful voice, before stepping closer, "But I'll be better than you one day." he declared confidently, which seemed to amuse his sister.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oooh..." Azula raised a hand to her lips, "Did you hear that Cousin?" she sarcastically quipped, "He's gonna be better than me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, you think it's funny now." the young Prince noted, "But I'll show you one day."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Agni Kai?" she simply asked him, her tone suggesting she'd think she would win in such a scenario; the elder Prince stepping between his two cousins, having had enough of their bickering.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's enough arguing. Nobody's fighting in an Agni Kai under my watch." he argued, "You can become a better firebender without trying to burn your sister's face off, Zuko." he warned his cousin, who turned away with an angry look on his face, "You think your rage will make you stronger? Anger is the tool of the weak." he decided to tell them something his father had told him once, which seemed to surprise his cousins.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did he just say what I think he just said?" Zuko turned around with a perplexed look on his face, Azula nodding with an equally confused expression.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, I did." he stood his ground, eyeing them both, "If you get needlessly angry over petty things, then you lack self-control." he declared, "And self control-"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is the key to being a great firebender." Zuko finished his sentence for him, his expression softening, "That's what Uncle always says."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, he does, and that's because he's right." he declared, before placing his hands together, "But if you get angry to try and make yourself stronger, you'll only make yourself weaker. Firebending is driven by the strength of your chi; your soul is what makes you a good firebender, and if all you have in your heart is anger, then it is hollow." he explained, the two of them looking at him with equally confused faces, even more so than before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Where did you learn that, Cousin?" Azula asked him, the Prince chuckling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I'd like to tell you, but I'm sworn to secrecy." he admitted; the answer was the Sun Warriors, but he wanted to keep the promise he had made to their chief, just as his father had- they could not speak of their existence, "True strength comes from passion. From a focus and determination that is unyielding."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's..." Azula began, before turning around, a look of surprise on her face, "Right."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, you do agree?" he asked her, his cousin nodding, before he turned to face Zuko, "And do you understand, Zuko?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I..." he mumbled, before smiling, "Thank you, Cousin." he admitted, before he turned his gaze to the hallway, "I need to- uh, go to lesson with my history tutor." he excused himself, before he began to pace away, "Bye, Lu Ten." he farewelled him with a small wave, before darting down the hallway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Now, all of his attention could turn to his younger cousin, who seemed a little more interested than her brother, "You're smart, Cousin." she complimented him, making him chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, well, I guess my grades at school weren't too bad." he noted, before she playfully punched him in the arm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You know a lot more than that dummy." she noted, "Maybe he'll get a little smarter if you teach him a few things." she added, making him chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I guess I could." he acknowledged, before remembering what he ought to be doing, "I have to head back to the Academy in a few days."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." she nodded, "I wish you'd come home more often. Nobody wants to spar with me." she added, making him smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I could do that right now, but I don't want to make your brother jealous."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He's going to class, who cares?" she shrugged her shoulders, before stepping back into the courtyard, "I want to try my forms out."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"When don't you?" he asked her rhetorically, before sighing, realising he'd just been dragged into sparring her, "I hope you got what I meant."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, yeah, anger's for dummies." she raised a hand, "I've got to be cool."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Cool-headed." he corrected her, "Not everything's a competition about being or looking the best." he warned her, the Princess pouting; she obviously had a more solid view about that topic that he'd have a lot less luck on changing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But that makes it fun."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Sokka could comfortably say he was afraid of two things, that being the Fire Nation, and an empty stomach; at that very moment, his gut was grumbling, and his eyes were focused on the smokestacks that emanated from the Fire Nation vessel they had been following for the past four days. Katara had suggested they sneak on at night, when it would be easier for Appa to land down without being seen, but he had immediately retorted her idea. The Fire Nation forces who had attacked Kyoshi Island were no joke; even if they got them when they were all meant to be sleeping, he was sure some of them would be on patrol, and even considering that, they had no idea where on the ship Aang would be.</p><p>The Fire Nation girl had taken him, and probably was doing terrible things to him; he didn't even want to imagine what it might be like being a prisoner of the Fire Nation, and he forced the thought of it away from his mind. The flying bison was keeping a steady pace, and though they could have moved even closer, he was sure that they had come to port; he could see other smokestacks, indicating they were near some kind of settlement. His instincts told him they ought to drop down and scout it out before trying anything. He knew that the sky-bison's presence would immediately alert their targets, who would probably come right for them; he had remembered something important from his warrior training- to be better than one's enemy was to be smarter than them. No matter how annoying he could be at times, he was going to do whatever it took to save his bald little friend.</p><p>"Why aren't we going right for the ship, Sokka?" his sister asked him, a question he expected.</p><p>"We shouldn't fight them on their home ground. There might be even more firebenders at that port." he warned her, "My instincts say we should be cautious. If we can, we'll sneak in, and then we'll break Aang out."</p><p>"What about the Fire Nation girl?" she asked him, "She's... dangerous. She can shoot lightning. your boomerang can't stop lightning."</p><p>"Neither can your waterbending, Katara." he retorted, making her cringe back, obviously realising that she wasn't in much a better position than he would be against their enemies; she wasn't very good at using her element, and even if she was, she couldn't stop the girl who could literally shoot lightning bolts out of her hands.</p><p>"Then how will we get to Aang without fighting her?" she asked, the Water Tribesman smirking.</p><p>"A diversion." he decided, "I'm sure Momo could help us out there."</p><p>"Sorry, you want Momo to distract the firebenders? They'll cook him for dinner!" she exclaimed, obviously not wanting the lemur to be put in harm's way.</p><p>"They won't. Momo's a smart little guy, but he's also good at annoying people." he added, "He'll do the job perfectly." he stressed, "And while everybody's distracted by the lemur, we can get on that ship and find Aang."</p><p>"If he's on it." his sister corrected him, "They might be taking him ashore. We have no idea where they're actually going, Sokka."</p><p>"Probably back to the Fire Nation. If Aang's their prisoner, then they'll want to put him in a place he can't escape. I'm imagining a scary fortress that doubles as a prison." he explained his thoughts on the matter, which earned a confused look from his sister.</p><p>"What?" she asked him, her mouth ajar as she considered his words, "How can you be sure?"</p><p>"Well, I can't be." he admitted, before turning his gaze ahead, focusing on the woodland they were quickly approaching; there was a clearing near the shoreline, and he pulled on the reins, knowing the sky-bison couldn't land on treetops.</p><p>They had to land, and then they had to find some place for Appa to hide snugly. Once they did that, they'd be able to get over to Aang, and get him out of whatever cell the Fire Nation had him locked away in. He was sure they could find him, and with that, he could feel at least a little confident in what they were about to do. As Appa settled down in the clearing, he glanced around, checking for places they might be able to hide the massive creature; the sky-bison seemed a little on-edge, however, and growled, turning around without Sokka having to touch the reins.</p><p>He raised a brow, a little confused by his reaction, "What's wrong, Appa?"</p><p>"Maybe they're already here." Katara considered with a dark, fearful voice, before grasping him by the arm, "Maybe we should get back in the air. If the Fire Nation comes to capture us, we might not be able to fight them off."</p><p>"You're right." he agreed with her, before grimacing, "But we have to find Aang. We can't just leave him there."</p><p>"I know, Sokka." she agreed with him, "It's just... maybe not here."</p><p>"Where is it going to be better?" he asked her, "Making our move when they're out in the open sea is worse, because they'll just attack Appa; what if he gets hurt and we don't have a way to get out?"</p><p>She grimaced, before nodding, "That's... that'd be worse." she concluded, before glancing around,  "Where can he hide?" she asked, the Water Tribe teen shrugging his shoulders; he couldn't see anywhere obvious for Appa to go, other than perhaps toward the edge of the woods, which might cover him from any Fire Navy vessels that sailed by the nearby shoreline.</p><p>"I don't know." he admitted, "We'll just have to find somewhere for him to go." he decided, before climbing off of the saddle, taking his boomerang and club with him.</p><p>The sky-bison growled once more, which didn't make Sokka feel any better; suddenly, he heard footsteps in the distance, and he immediately drew out his boomerang. He narrowed his eyes, and waited for the footsteps to get louder;they were coming his way, and he noted Katara jumping down beside him.</p><p>"Somebody's coming." he simply told her, and she nodded; he turned his eyes ahead, and finally made sight of the enemy- a Fire Nation soldier, who immediately stopped when he saw the Water Tribe teens and the sky-bison behind them.</p><p>He raised his hands up, and he noted that the man looked hurt; he wasn't wearing a helmet, and his face was dirtied, "W-w-wait! Please don't hurt me!" he pleaded, "There's a bunch of crazy people, and they're coming this way!"</p><p>"Who?!" Katara pointed at him accusingly, the Water Tribe warrior stepping forward, ready to throw his boomerang; before he could do anything, a fire stream suddenly burst out of the woods, hitting the soldier over, before it moved closer to them.</p><p>"Ah!" Sokka cried out, jumping down to the ground with his sister; Appa growled out, having been hit by the flames, before he swung his tail around, creating an air blast, far bigger than any he'd seen Aang make.</p><p>The gust of the wind shook the trees, but a few moments later, another few fire streams came out of the woods, and the Water Tribe teens looked at each other with fearful faces. Neither of them could do much but watch as Appa growled out and set off into the air, moving away from them at once; Sokka could have tried to chase after him, but he knew it was far more dangerous to try that when a firebender might try to cook him alive.</p><p>"Okay, maybe we should have gone for the ship." he conceded his mistake, before tightening his grip on his boomerang, "I've got to remember Suki's training." he mumbled to himself, before glancing up past the fallen tree they'd laid down in front of, noting that there were a number of men in the woods, all of them wearing black; they didn't look like Fire Nation soldiers, and it made no sense for soldiers to attack another soldier.</p><p>He knew that he could fight them, but while they were at a distance, the enemy clearly held the advantage, and it was likely that they'd set some trees on fire, and the two siblings in the process. He glanced around, deciding that taking cover behind one of the nearby trees would best place him to throw his boomerang whenever he found a good angle on their attackers. He gestured behind them, toward a large boulder, lodged into the ground.</p><p>"Katara, go hide behind that rock. I'll hit them with my boomerang once they try to get to you." he explained, his sister grimacing before she darted backwards, leaping over the boulder and dropping down behind it, assuring him that at least for that moment, she'd be safe.</p><p>As soon as the flames lulled for a moment, making him assume they had to catch their breath, Sokka immediately moved to a nearby tree, noting that there were embers on it, and the leaves above him were starting to burn. The enemy was going to set the whole forest on fire if they weren't careful, and something told him they weren't intending to be careful in the slightest. The Fire Nation soldier who had been attacked first scrambled past the Water Tribesman, covering behind the log he and Katara had been hiding behind; he looked at the Water Tribesman with a panicked face, suggesting he had no intention to fight him.</p><p>He glanced past the trunk, and noticed that the attackers were getting closer; there had to be at least half a dozen of them, and that was just in his direct line of sight- for all he knew, they might be surrounded by firebenders. He was still perplexed why firebenders would be attacking the Fire Nation; perhaps they were criminals, but he couldn't be sure- all he knew is that they obviously didn't like Sokka, his sister or anybody else being around them. He grit his teeth, readying his boomerang, knowing that he had to throw it with precision, given there was little chance it would come back to him through the woods. He aimed at one of the firebenders, and was able to toss the boomerang right into his head, seemingly knocking him out.</p><p>He smiled, realising they couldn't have been that much of a threat if could knock them out, "Aha! take that!" he exclaimed, before he was quickly silenced by two men attacking him at once with their bending; he weaved out of the way of the attack, dropping down beside the injured soldier.</p><p>"You're not going to attack me, are you?" he asked the man, who remained silent, the nervous look on his face suggesting that he was far too worried about their attackers to consider the fact he was sitting beside a Water Tribesman- he didn't trust the Fire Nation himself, but he was willing to tolerate him for the sake of surviving the onslaught.</p><p>A firebender moved right toward them, and Sokka leapt up to his feet, swinging his club forward; he missed the enemy, but was able to block the subsequent fire blast that was sent his way. He then side-stepped the firebender, smacking the back of his hand with the end of his club. His cry of pain suggested at the very least, his club could hurt them, even if it wasn't much against actual bending. He then jabbed the attacker in the chest, his lack of armour helping Sokka throw him back, his head slamming into a tree trunk.</p><p>He was the least of his worries as he saw a man wielding two swords charge right at him, ready to cut the Water Tribesman to pieces. He readied his club in hand, and raised it up to defend himself, but to his luck, the enemy was distracted by a small fireball shooting him right in the head; the injured soldier could clearly still fight, no matter how afraid he looked. The Water Tribe warrior seized the opportunity, and tripped the attacker over as he tried to move on the Fire Nation soldier. He kicked the man in the chest, making him groan in pain, but Sokka had no time to relish in his small victory; he immediately jumped for cover, barely missing another fire stream sent his way.</p><p>"What would Dad do?" he mumbled to himself, unsure what he ought to do with such overwhelming odds; he could wait for the enemy to move to him, and hope that he was lucky enough to knock them out with his club, but he doubted that would work- there were just too many of them.</p><p>Suddenly, he heard a grunt of pain over to his left, and Sokka turned his gaze around, realising that his sister hbad picked up a number of pebbles, and was throwing them right into the heads of the firebenders. It was a surprisingly effective tactic, and all the snowball throwing she'd done as a little girl truly gave her a knack for it; of course, like him, she was forced to take cover behind a tree, forced to cower away from the fire streams that had been sent their way.</p><p>"Okay, that's smarter than covering." he admitted, his sister cocking a smirk as she heard his words; the fact she could feel confident in their situation was surprising, but he had no issue with it, "Go Katara!" he cheered her on, raising his club up; she smiled at him, before she readied a pebble in her right hand, ready to toss it.</p><p>She threw another rock, hitting one of the firebenders in the hand as he tried to move closer to her, and Sokka charged at him, ready to knock him out with his club; he didn't get the chance to make contact, as suddenly, the man was thrown back by a blast of air. He thought for a moment that it was Appa, but as he turned around, he couldn't help but smile. Aang, instead of being locked away in some cell, had somehow got to them right on time; he had no idea how he got off the Fire Nation ship he'd been stuck on, but he didn't care to ask.</p><p>"Aang!" Katara shouted out his name, seeming ecstatic to see him, though he didn't respond in kind.</p><p>Instead of speaking, he spun around in some weird airbending form- it was probably different to what he was used to given his hands were bound; he created a funnel of air which shot off into the woods, knocking down their attackers.</p><p>"Sorry, guys. I really should have got off that ship earlier." he apologised to them before turning his eyes to the Fire Nation soldier who'd been covering with Sokka, "Uh, what's this guy doing?"</p><p>"They were attacking him." Sokka clarified, "I... I'm confused." he admitted, "These guys have to be bandits or something."</p><p>"Why would there be firebending bandits in the Earth Kingdom?" Aang asked him, perplexed by the suggestion.</p><p>"That's exactly what I was thinking." he admitted, the young Air Nomad offering up his shackled hands, "Could you, uh, whack these open?" he asked him, the warrior gesturing to the log they had been covering by.</p><p>He placed his hands down, and the Fire Nation soldier shuffled away, "Y-you're the Avatar."</p><p>"Yeah, I am." he confirmed, before he looked up to Sokka, who readied his club in hand; he slammed it down on the shackles, which didn't seem to do much good.</p><p>"Oh, come on." he growled, frustrated that he couldn't break them before suddenly, he noticed a spark of light in the corner of his eye; he didn't have even a moment to react as an explosion suddenly appeared in front of him, throwing him into the air.</p><p>The weightlessness was an alien feeling to Sokka, but what was more worrying was the fact he felt heat everywhere, and was forced to close his eyes shut, fearing that he'd go blind from the flash of light that had appeared. A few moments later, he slammed into the dirt, and groaned as he heard a cracking noise; he didn't hurt that much, and assumed that it was just a tree branch breaking. Groaning with pain, he looked around for the source of his aches, and saw that his tunic and pants were torn up by whatever explosion had just occurred.</p><p>He couldn't see the source of it, but guessed it was the Fire Nation girl and her firebending- Azula was her name, he remembered, and all he could think of was getting away from her. He heard a gust of wind, and watched as the flames that surrounded him were snuffed out, and realised that Aang was already responding, on his feet and creating an even more powerful blast of air, which was sent into the forest ahead of them. He still couldn't see the girl, sure that she was hiding in the forest; she must have come after Aang, he deduced.</p><p>Sokka scampered back, his legs aching, but moving along despite the pain; he had to move, and he grasped Katara by the arm, helping her move along as she tried to limp away; they took cover behind the boulder he had first told her go behind, and Sokka noted that the Fire Nation soldier that was with them was still trying to get away, limping to their right, back in the direction of the port. Another deafening explosion went off, and he grit his teeth, not knowing what to do; the smoke cleared after a few moments, and he saw his sister covering her ears with both hands, with her face covered by a slathering of dirt.</p><p>He could hear ringing in his own ears, and silently hoped that he wasn't sent deaf before they escaped, and that was if they escaped. Glancing around, he saw Aang stood tall, and held a tree branch in hand, instead of his usual airbending staff; he awkwardly oriented it around, due to his bound hands, but was able to send an air blast into the woods. The Water Tribesman couldn't tell if the attack did anything.</p><p>"That Fire Nation girl just doesn't give up." he growled, the young Avatar looking his way with a nervous face.</p><p>"That's not Azula. That's the guy who killed the Fire Lord."</p><hr/><p>In Azula's opinion, sounds of explosions were never a good sign; she had no idea what was causing them, but she knew that Aang must have been involved, given how close he had been. She and her Imperial Firebenders, along with a detachment of troops from the Fire Nation base, had moved out at once after him; his airbending gave him a great advantage in terms of speed, but the fact there were patrols around protecting the military garrison gave her a glimmer of hope. It would be the greatest shame to lose the Avatar, but now she was more worried somebody had killed him; not because she felt any inkling of sympathy for the Air Nomad boy, but because his death would spell an end to her quest and the honour and respect that was meant to come along with its completion. Her father would think her just as incompetent as Zuko if she failed, and so, she decided she would not.</p><p>She was glad she had chosen to wear her armour, given she might end up in a fight with the Avatar, but she was frustrated by how much the weight was slowing her down. The woods were thick, and Anag's trail was practically nonexistent; she knew that she would just have to rely on the sounds of the explosions to find him. She heard another thundering boom, not too different to the sound of lightning; not the kind she created, but the real kind that made her tremble when she was a little girl. She questioned whether that was a good thing, even if it was giving her an indication to the Avatar's location; what could be causing such sounds was beyond her knowledge, but she had a growing fear it had to do with the assassins who had gone after her uncle.</p><p>She was assuming that the Fire Lord might be dead, and even if she hoped he wasn't, she stayed with that assumption; keeping her hopes up was an easy way to find a grave disappointment if the worst turned out true. What was worse was the suggestion somebody could even beat her uncle; the idea of who that person could be was something that truly made Azula afraid, something that was hard for her to admit, even in her head. She was running as fast as she could, loyal men by her side, and an intent to find the Avatar, and deal with whatever was going on; she truly hoped it was just a patrol that had cornered him, and not what she feared. The first thing that actually could qualify her concerns was saw was a soldier, clearly injured and fearful for his life; his eyes were wide and panicked, and he was limping- she couldn't tell how he got hurt, but the dirt over his legs and chest suggested he had been thrown to the ground.</p><p>He paced toward them, and gestured back the way he had come, "Turn around! Please!" he warned them, Azula raising her hands up, covering them with flames.</p><p>"What was it?" she asked of him, the demanding tone and her posture making him cower slightly, though he leaned over toward a tree to catch his breath.</p><p>"Firebenders attacked me, I ran, and then... then there were s-some... explosions. Explosions out of nowhere." he explained himself while panting, struggling to breathe; he glanced back the way he had come, "You have to run. Whatever it is, it's going to kill us." he warned her with a frenzied voice, before limping along past the Princess, who didn't stop him; whatever he had faced, he wasn't going to stick around to see it again.</p><p>"Your highness, perhaps we should hold back." one of her guards suggested, "This sounds dangerous. The Avatar is only a boy. Maybe whatever it is will take care of him for us."</p><p>"I'm not letting that little shit die after all the effort I went through to catch him." she snarled, before gesturing through the woods, toward a smokestack, which might have been created by the explosions she had been hearing, "We're going to find whatever's causing these explosions, stop it, and then we'll drag him back to the ship."</p><p>"What if it's... them?" one of her guards dared to suggest, "The assassins who went after the Fire Lord."</p><p>"Then we'll kill them all." she declared, raising her hand up to stress her point, "And that is no exaggeration. We will interrogate, but they will all be executed for their crimes against our nation." </p><p>Her guards took her words seriously, and immediately took form, the soldiers who had accompanied them doing the same; she would not give up, especially if she was about to face those responsible for her uncle's death, if he really was dead to begin with. He couldn't trust what had been told to her, because for one, there was no body; she would still go after the assassins no matter if he was dead or alive- they had tried to kill the Fire Lord, and for her to claim their heads would be as great an honour as capturing the Avatar himself. She did not slow her pace, but instead, hastened it; the quicker she got to the enemy, and found Aang, the sooner she would be back on the ship, with her prisoner in a proper cell. That's what he was asking for, after his foolish escape attempt.</p><p>The flames in her hands were intensifying by the second, and the heat was actually becoming noticeable; that's how she knew she was angry. Azula always had control, and when she didn't, she knew that she would be putting herself and everybody around her in danger. An enraged firebender was a danger to begin with, but when that firebender was the most prodigious one alive, that was a disaster waiting to happen. Of course, the disaster would be befalling those who dared to attack her uncle; she would make them learn that attacking the royal family was the quickest way to an early grave.</p><p>When she crossed over a small hillcrest, she came across a clearing, which was covered with embers and burning debris, not to mention what looked like small craters from what must have been some explosions. She was sure that they had come from the assassins, and not the Avatar, who she knew for a fact could only bend air. The Princess glanced around, and noted that Aang was standing off in the distance, with a stick in his still-bound hands, presumably replacing his glider staff which she'd seen him use on Kyoshi Island; what was more confusing was the fact that she could see his Water Tribe friends, who were covered with dust, cowering behind a rock.</p><p>"Azula!" he called out to her, waving the staff in the air, "Run!" he warned her, the Princess narrowing her eyes, immediately taking a defensive form, her guards pacing up beside her, ready to protect her from whoever was about to attack.</p><p>She didn't have any time to react, momentarily sighting a spark of light, before suddenly, an explosion appeared in front of her, the Princess raising her hands up to conjure a wall of flames in defence. For the first time ever, her bending was not enough; the feeling of weightlessness overcame her, and she and her men were thrown back, her head hitting the dirt behind her. She was dazed, and her ears rang from the booming sound of the explosion.</p><p>She heard cries of pain from her Imperial Firebenders, and then shouts as the soldiers behind her conjured fire streams, shooting them toward the enemy who had attacked them. She had no idea what was going on, other than knowing that she was not ready; she was ready to face Aang, that she was sure of, but to face whoever just attacked her, she was not. That was when it hit her like a brick wall to her face; her uncle might really be dead- if she had faltered to just a single explosion, then she couldn't imagine what had happened to her uncle.</p><p>"No." she refused to believe it, "Not again." she growled, the anger on her tongue unbridled; her father wasn't there to chastise her.</p><p>Pulling herself up from the dirt, she glanced up toward the men who were attacking, "More!" she demanded of them with a near scream; they needed to kill whoever created that explosion- otherwise, they would be dead themselves.</p><p>She pulled herself up to her feet, noticing some of the Imperial Firebenders were too injured to get up; she didn't try to help them, knowing there was one effective way to ensure the safety of all those she'd just led into battle. She would find the creator of the explosions, and kill them; she did not relent to create two fire streams in her palms, launching herself forward with speed. The disorientation she felt was the least of her worries as she moved toward the treeline, knowing in there was where the enemy awaited her; another explosion went off, and to her luck, it wasn't aimed toward her. She noticed that Aang was sending blasts of air into the woods, presumably to try and get rid of the attacker; instead of trying to get closer to her prisoner, she decided to just leave him be, knowing he was a good distraction.</p><p>She spun her hands around, and directed the fire streams into the woods; she had no qualms about setting the forest alight, and forcing the enemy to reveal themselves by escaping the flames. The young Avatar moved over to her, stopping the attack he had been making, before looking at the Princess. He obviously wanted her to free him from his bounds, but she wasn't going to have any of that; she kicked him away with a fire blast, throwing him off of his feet.</p><p>She would have given him a mocking comment, but she had no chance to, as a moment later, another explosion went off, right in front of her. Her flames were able to protect her somewhat, but the force of the blast threw her off her feet, slamming her back into a tree. It hurt enough that she cried out in pain, and slumped down, holding her hands up to maintain the wall of flames between her and whoever had just attacked her.</p><p>She turned her gaze around, and noted that the Water Tribe teens were looking at her with concerned faces; they looked at her as if she was about to try and kill them- she personally didn't care about them whatsoever, as long as they didn't intervene in her fight with the assassins. She was about to dismiss their presence entirely, but then the boy stepped toward her, with a dagger in hand; her eyes widened, thinking that he might try to kill her.</p><p>She was ready to burn his face off, but instead of trying to attack her, he put the dagger on his belt, and offered her a hand, "Can you use that lightning to hit whoever's trying to kill us?"</p><p>She pursed her lips upward, approving of that idea; she rose up to her feet slowly, noticing that there was a figure she could see through the burning forest. It was a tall imposing man, and even if she could only see his silhouette, that was all she needed to target him. She stepped forwards and spun her hands around, narrowing her eyes; if he was the man responsible for Iroh's death, she'd end him then and there. When she tried to conjure a lightning bolt, instead of the sparks flying out of her right hand, she created a small explosion, which threw her back once more, throwing her into the tree once more.</p><p>The ringing pain in her head was so distracting that she could barely make sense of her other sensations her body was experiencing. She noted that somebody had grasped her by the wrists, and she felt her back being dragged across the dirt, and she heard another explosion, presumably from the assassin, once again. Her wrists were still being held tight, and she felt herself lying against something hard- the boulder. She blinked a few times, trying to make sense of her blurry vision. She heard cries and screams as her Imperial Firebenders were burned and grievously injured by the explosions. A few of them were moving toward her and the Water Tribe teens, obviously wanting to retrieve her; her eyes widened, realising they had no defence against their enemy.</p><p>She raised her hand up, and shouted out the only thing she could think, "Run!" she demanded of them; if they died on her watch, that would be on her, and she would be unworthy of their respect, let alone anybody else's.</p><p>Her warning wasn't heeded, and another explosion went off, and smoke and dirt was thrown into the air, along with her guards; she covered her face, just realising she might have seen somebody die. After all the things her father had told her about strength, she realised that she was only human; she felt like throwing up at the suggestion of it, but she held the contents of her stomach down. Turning to face the Water Tribe teens, she decided that she ought to provide them with the only advice she could.</p><p>"You need to get out of here." she demanded of them, "This man will kill us all." she warned them, the Water Tribe girl turning to face her brother; she seemed worried, though whether it was for her own safety or that of Azula she couldn't tell.</p><p>She grasped her brother by the hand, and he continued to stare the Princess down, "Why would you sacrifice yourself?"</p><p>"Because I have an uncle to avenge." she simply declared with a snarl, and pulled herself up.</p><p>Before she could try and act on her words, Aang suddenly appeared in front of her; from what she could tell he'd just jumped over the boulder to take cover, and unlike her he was relatively uninjured- her kicking him away when he had tried to approach had been a blessing in disguise. He looked really concerned, and she didn't blame him for his fears; what she had just seen had made her want to turn and run, and she considered herself to be far more tough and determined than him. He put his hands forward once more.</p><p>"Please cut the shackles. If I can't airbend at this guy, then nobody will get away." he told her, the Princes raising her chin up; she knew she had to swallow her pride, no matter how much it made her feel like a weakling and a fool for willingly freeing her prisoner- she had to survive if she wanted any hope of taking him to the capital.</p><p>She swung her right hand forward, a blue torch of flames cutting right through his shackles, which broke open and fell to the ground, much to the Air Nomad's relief. He immediately spun his hands around, creating an air blast which shot forward through the burning woods, knocking the attacker right off of his feet. If she was an airbender, maybe she might have actually stood a chance against the seemingly indomitable opponent.</p><p>"Get out of here!" Aang demanded of her, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"I'm not-" she began to demand, before snarling, knowing that she at least owed him the chance to escape, given he was the only one capable of dealing with the assassin, "Fine." she agreed to his proposition, glancing up toward the soldiers who had been assisting her; many of them were injured, but a number remained on their feet, and sent out fire streams toward the assassin.</p><p>"Get on Appa, guys. I'll handle this." she heard the Avatar address his friends, who immediately moved away, obviously not wanting to be anywhere near the assassin if they could help it.</p><p>"Get my boomerang!" the Water Tribe boy spoke up as he dashed away, the young Avatar nodding, before he turned to face Azula.</p><p>"For what it's worth, thanks."</p><p>"I don't want your thanks." she retorted, rising up to her feet and clenching her fists; she was in pain, and she was about to run, so Azula had to reframe her actions.</p><p>She was going to find those responsible for her uncle's death, and she would teach them a lesson they'd never forget, "I want to get to the bottom of this." she decided, narrowing her eyes at the boy she ought to be dragging away in chains, "That's more important than capturing you."</p><p>"Uh- thanks, I guess." he smiled at her, before jumping into the air, sending another blast of air toward the assassin.</p><p>She immediately moved to her left, heading right toward the Imperial Firebenders who had tried to help her; she didn't know which, if any of them, were still alive, so she shook them by the shoulders, and all of them got up, much to her relief, though all of them were hurt and barely capable of walking.</p><p>"Y-your highness." one of them mumbled, struggling to get up to his feet; she grasped him by the shoulder and helped him up.</p><p>"Shut up and get moving. None of you are dying on my watch." she demanded, "I'm not that incompetent a leader." she decided, before snarling, gesturing up toward the hill crest, where she knew they'd be safe, "Go!" she demanded of them.</p><p>She began to help the guard along who, despite his best efforts, wasn't able to walk by himself. She felt ashamed for actually having to carry another man; it was below her, but even she could understand that it was necessary. Her uncle had taught her many things, and one of them was that she ought to respect her men, and if she did that, they'd respect her back. If she needed to hunt down a conspiracy against the Fire Lord's life, she'd need loyal and unwavering men by her side.</p><p>Glancing back toward Aang, she watched as he continued to pelt the enemy with air blasts; there was another explosion, though it was situated between him and the assassin. The silhouette began to move away, and she snarled, wishing that her lightning generation would work. She didn't know why it didn't, because she had never been told about ailments of firebending; she had never experienced them before, and the very idea that she could do so infuriated her. She couldn't be weak, because a weak Princess would be incapable of avenging her uncle, and bringing those perpetrators to justice; a weak Princess would die just like her cousin had, at the hands of devious savages. She would not make the same mistakes Lu Ten had, and she would be the Fire Lord he never had the chance to be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Other Side Of Luck</h2></a>
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  <em>"That is all I can hope for, Father. I will not fail you."</em>
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  <em>The few moments of silence between her father's words and her grandfather's response gave Azula some time to comprehend what she had just learned; Lu Ten was dead, and just thinking of the very fact made her want to scream. She wanted to demand her grandfather have Ba Sing Se burnt to the ground to avenge the death of his eldest grandchild, but she knew that would be gravely inappropriate and stepping out of line. That didn't mean she didn't want to; she was so tempted to say something, but she held her tongue. Her father would not tolerate such an outburst, perhaps more than the man whose actual authority would be threatened by the words she desired to utter. So she kept silent, and quickly enough, Fire Lord Azulon raised his hand up to dismiss them.</em>
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  <em>"Leave now, I have other matters to attend to." he told his son, who rose up to his feet; Azula refused to look her father in the eye, knowing that being dismissed by his father was going to make him angry- she was sure, however, his emotions did not compare her own.</em>
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  <em>She was just far better at hiding them, and he didn't utter a word as he turned his heels, his two children both rising to their feet. Her brother was more than distressed by the turn of events, and unlike herself, was no good at hiding it. She would have felt a tinge of sympathy, but the very fact he looked at her with suspicion suggested he thought she mightn't even care. She did, but she wasn't going to make her face falter, not while her father might notice. She straightened her lips, and narrowed her eyes at her brother, snarling her lips to stress the demand which she uttered as quietly as she could.</em>
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  <em>"Stop looking at me, Zuzu." she demanded of him, before turning her gaze ahead, refusing to look his way; he was going to make father think they were both weaklings, instead of just himself.</em>
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  <em>She couldn't be weak, not when everything had just become so different in the span of a single conversation; her grandfather had said it himself: Zuko was now expected to become the Fire Lord some day, and her father before him. She tried to ignore that indirect snub from her grandfather; he was simply too old and narrow-minded to consider her potential as a monarch. Being the Fire Lord was the furthest thing from her mind; the only thing she could picture in her mind was her cousin's warm smile that he had made as he waved her goodbye, leaving the palace that afternoon. She wished she had won that spar against him; maybe he might have been more cautious, and then at the very least, he might have survived the battle. He was good, and like everything good, he was taken away from her, without her really even having a chance to appreciate it.</em>
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  <em>Despite being a Princess, and thus, one of the most powerful people in the world, not even considering her bending, she had little good, or niceness in her life. Her father was always looming over her, demanding the best of her; she tried so hard, and she did succeed, but that success came at a cost. She was growing frustrated and even bored of her training, and though she wanted more than anything to impress her father, she knew that she couldn't do it forever. She had wanted to serve in the army, with her cousin, once she was old enough, but now that he was dead, there was no hope of that. She had only an empty courtyard and an understandably sad uncle to look forward to.</em>
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  <em>"Cousin didn't deserve that." she heard her brother mumble, the Princess forcing her lips straight; she agreed with him wholeheartedly, but she couldn't utter a word, not with her father's dagger eyes pointed right toward them.</em>
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  <em>"Be quiet." he demanded with a cold, disdainful voice, "I will not have you snivelling." he demanded of him, quietly enough that nobody else could hear him, "People die, Prince Zuko. I thought you already understood that." he reminded him, the Princess's eyes widening upon realising what he was actually talking about; it wasn't Lu Ten, but their dead mother, whose name she had never even heard her father utter.</em>
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  <em>Azula's expression faltered upon realising what her father's words implied; by not even saying anything about Lu Ten, he was saying that Zuko was wrong- if Zuko was wrong, then Lu Ten deserved to die. She clenched her fists, and grit her teeth, which were hidden behind her straightened lips. Her father wasn't looking their way, and a moment later, Zuko responded to their father's chiding, with an eerily cold and hateful voice.</em>
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  <em>"This isn't fair." he snarled, his eyes momentarily meeting Azula's, before they both turned ahead; she agreed with him, but she was guessing his idea of what was being 'unfair' was a little different to her own.</em>
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  <em>She looked at her father, who seemed more angry about his father's words than any of the news they had learned; he didn't care about Lu Ten, who was his own nephew. If Zuko or Azula died, Iroh would be devastated; she knew that if she and her brother felt the same about their cousin's death, then their father was outnumbered- he couldn't be right. She was told her entire life that her father was right and a smart, righteous man, even by her tutors; she couldn't believe that now, she refused to. She did not hate him, because she had no reason to, but she certainly did not like him. She could not like a man who dismissed her cousin's death like it was nothing.</em>
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  <em>Lu Ten had been more of a brother to her than Zuko ever would be, and perhaps, more of a brother to him than she'd be a sister to him; she didn't feel regret over that, but more distaste. Her father thought Zuko was weak, but if she felt the exact same way, if not worse about her cousin's demise, then there were two possibilities. Either she was weak as well, or her father was misguided; she didn't want to call him wrong, because she knew that strength was right, but his strength was not the same as her own. When the doors of the throne room were closed behind them, her father turned around and glanced at them both.</em>
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  <em>"I'm going to do my training. I want you both at dinner, on time." he told them, before turning his heels, and striding away.</em>
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  <em>She could hear her brother take a deep breath out, and then he turned around, presumably to head off to somewhere where he could sob alone. Though part of her told her it was a stupid idea, she knew she had to address the matter at hand; she couldn't lie about it, because she knew that if she was right, there was no need to lie.</em>
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  <em>"Zuko." she addressed him by his actual name, her brother stopping his movements to turn around and side-eye her.</em>
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  <em>"What?" he growled at her, obviously not in the mood to chat.</em>
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  <em>"You're right." she simply told him, his eyes widening.</em>
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  <em>"W-wait... what?" he looked at her, genuinely seemingly aghast at the suggestion she was taking his side.</em>
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  <em>"Lu Ten didn't deserve to die." she declared, before striding past him, stopping so she could look him in the eye, "He would have been a good Fire Lord."</em>
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  <em>"He could stop us fighting." her brother simply observed, before narrowing his eyes at her, "You-" he began, before turning away, "Never mind." he mumbled with an annoyed voice, turning around.</em>
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  <em>"I know you're angry, Zuzu." she noted, before stepping closer, "Maybe that's a good thing." she suggested, "You need something to power your firebending."</em>
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  <em>"He said anger makes us weak." he reminded her, the Princess narrowing her eyes.</em>
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  <em>"And what did Dad say?"</em>
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  <em>"That I'm weak." he answered with a dejected voice.</em>
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  <em>"Well, I'm sure you'll be a great Fire Lord then." she joked, which didn't seem to amuse him in the slightest.</em>
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  <em>"Shut up." he demanded of her, before stomping off with clenched fists.</em>
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  <em>She only made the joke because she wanted to try and lighten the mood, but it seemed she had no chance of that to begin with; she turned around, and knew she had to go to her room. Her thoughts couldn't be contained in her body much longer; she was good at hiding it, but she was struggling more than ever. Azula paced as fast as she could down the hallway back toward her bedroom; she knew that was the only place she could hide, and she would do just that. She couldn't let out her feelings while there were guards at every corner, and servants whose lips were only held shut until some coins came their way. If she misbehaved, Ozai would find out, so she didn't. Remaining silent, she strode as fast as possible, turning around corners with haste, making sure to keep a careful eye ahead of her, so she didn't run into anyone; that would be woefully embarrassing.</em>
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  <em>When she reached the door of her bedroom, she pulled it open, before slamming it shut behind her; she didn't climb onto her bed, or sit on her desk. Her knees quivered, and she let herself acknowledge the fact for what it was; Lu Ten was dead, and there was no getting him back. She could never spar with him again, nor look to him for advice or comfort, no matter whether it was called for or not. She slowly dropped down to her knees, her breathing becoming erratic. She didn't know what to do; she had never had to deal with anything like what she was presently facing. She had been born and her mother had died, but that had no emotional significance to her, even if she longed for a mother. She knew she could never have one, so she settled for a cousin who actually could treat her like she wished her brother would. The world wasn't going to be that kind, however, and took it away from her.</em>
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  <em>Finding no other way to express her anguish, she clenched her fists, and hammered them into the glossy, immaculate looking floor, which shimmered from the light of the hallway behind her. The world hadn't taken her cousin away, that was just a stupid, mystical way of putting it; fate had nothing to do with it, but with the fact he had served his country, and paid the ultimate price. The dirt-eating savages had killed him, and it was a wonder they hadn't killed her uncle either. She hated the very idea that they were even capable of it; her cousin was a great firebender, and noble, dignified warrior- he would not fall easily, and the suggestion that he could even be defeated made her quiver with fear. She was going to serve her country someday, and perhaps, the savages would try to kill her too.</em>
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  <em>She wondered what her father might think, if she befell the same fate of her cousin; his uncaring attitude and heartless platitudes stoked a fear far greater than one of an untimely death. She wanted to be the best daughter she could be, so she could honour her family and most importantly, be a worthy successor of her father, who was now destined to become the Fire Lord. She wondered if in the case she died, he'd be as unfazed as he had been with Lu Ten; maybe he'd only be annoyed, because he'd have Zuko as his heir- he thought he was incompetent, and her brother knew it.</em>
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  <em>She raised her hands to her face, remembering what her cousin had told her; that her father wasn't always right, and that his way of seeing things couldn't be the absolute truth. She wanted to believe it was, that her brother was a weakling and Lu Ten was too; that'd make things so much easier. But she would hate herself for thinking that; her cousin deserved so much better, and her uncle did too. She hammered her hands into the ground once again, wanting to scream; why her cousin had died, instead of some other soldier, someone without a face or name to her, she didn't know why.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps it was just destiny, that she was set to become the Fire Lord, and her cousin's very existence stood in the way of that; she hated the idea, even if she truly wished to serve her country in that manner. She wanted him to live, she wanted him to guide her, to be the brother she could never have otherwise. She wished her uncle could have done something, but she didn't blame him; it was the Earth Kingdom who killed him, not her uncle, who was only doing what was vested upon him to do- he succeeded, and yet he lost so much.</em>
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  <em>She heard a knock on her door, and Azula raised her head up, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "Your highness, are you alright?" she heard the voice of a servant, sounding rather concerned, if not nervous.</em>
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  <em>The Princess stood up, and quickly wiped her face, hoping to get rid of the wetness made by her tears; she then pulled the door open, and narrowed her eyes at the servant, who stood taller than her, but seemed intimidated by her cold glare, "You heard nothing." she demanded of her.</em>
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  <em>She nodded, and gulped with fear, "My apologies, your highness." she bowed toward her, "You were simply doing your studies." she made an excuse, the Princess nodding.</em>
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  <em>"Yes, yes I was." she agreed to her lie, before closing the door.</em>
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  <em>She took a deep breath, and glanced back over toward her bed; she didn't know if sleeping would help, but it might at the very least be better than sobbing on the floor. If she was going to wallow in her own weakness, she preferred to do it in a comfortable place. Azula strode over, and crawled onto the bed, laying herself down with her face on the mattress, glancing out toward the curtains of her window, where small shimmers of light entered her bedroom.</em>
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  <em>She didn't know how long she would lie there for, but ultimately that didn't matter; sobbing about her cousin would not bring him back, and neither could anything else. The least she could do was remember, and at least hope that the future might be kinder to her; for all his talk of her luck, Azula knew her father couldn't be right about its value. There was no luck in reaching the top of the pile when everyone in your way befell horrible, undeserved fates.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Not being recognised as the Fire Lord was probably the best thing that had happened to Iroh all week, but that was about it when it came to things he could say he was happy about; of course, the Earth Kingdom farmers who had given him refuge were kind and helpful people, but his presence had put their lives in danger. He was far happier to be putting their farm behind him and heading in the direction of Omashu; that was where he would need to go to meet with Bumi, and quickly organise the Order of the White Lotus together.</p><p>They had to be assembled to deal with the threat that Ozai faced to the world; there would not be peace until he righted the wrongs of his ancestors, and he would have no chance of doing that if his brother had his way. He did not know how deep his brother's conspiracy ran, but from how his nephew had spoken of it, he assumed that a large number of officers and other officials in the military and government were associated with his practical coup.</p><p>Before Iroh could even consider facing his brother, he had to get away from the assassins, who were probably still looking for him; he had no idea if they had withdrawn or had decided to keep following after his men, knowing that there was a reasonable chance he might have gone after them to find safety. Though he did wish he could do that, he knew his presence would clearly put their lives in danger, and it would be far safer to continue toward Omashu alone, and once there, work to contact his allies and perhaps gather anyone loyal to his cause. Most importantly, he had to make sure his niece didn't do anything horrible with Avatar, and ensure that Zuko got away from his father; if he remained in the capital, there was a reasonable chance Ozai would have him imprisoned, or even worse, have him assassinated, just as he had desired to do Iroh.</p><p>He knew that his thoughts were all over the place, and that he really ought to be focusing on gathering any resources and information he could. The peasant man who had fed and housed him the night prior, called Sung, had given him a lot of information about the local area, enough to tell him where he needed to go. The village he was walking through was called Dajiliu, and for the most part, it seemed peaceful enough; though it was near the Fire Nation port he had sent his men toward, it didn't seem to be presently be under occupation, though he assumed that had less to do with the Fire Nation's authority and more with the fact the front-line was located far closer to Omashu. Avoiding his subjects was a decision he had made to ensure their safety; he didn't want to be assisted by some soldiers, only for them to be attacked, and perhaps killed, by the assassins his brother had sent after him.</p><p>The people around him didn't seem that suspicious; he'd gotten a change of clothes from Sung, which were a little tight on him, but were better than his burnt and tattered royal robes, which he assumed might rouse some suspicion from anybody who paid close enough attention to them. He'd let his hair out, and took upon himself the appearance of a raggedy traveller, hoping his appearance of poverty might ensure nobody was suspicious of him. So far, he hadn't talked to anybody, other than to ask for directions to the market; he had been given a few spare coins by Sung, but they wouldn't last him long. He hoped that he could buy at least a little food, before he had to consider working for some unsuspecting farmers to get some coins.</p><p>As he made his way through the market, he looked around for food, but was unable to find many things that would be of use to him. He could buy raw vegetables and meats, but he'd have a struggle doing much with them, given he didn't have any way to cook them other than his firebending. He guessed he could do just that, but he would prefer to find something a little more straightforward for him to eat, if he could find it.</p><p>Suddenly, somebody bumped into his shoulder; he noted it was a teenage boy, and he was eyeing him down, which was never a good sign, "What are you looking at, old man?" he asked him accusingly, the Fire Lord's posture softening; he didn't want to intimidate anybody, which he doubted he was doing anyway, given his appearance.</p><p>"Uh, something to eat." he answered candidly, making the teenager snicker, amused by his bluntness.</p><p>"I guess you're not from around here." he observed, before gesturing ahead down through the market, "There's a noodle stall down that way."</p><p>"Thank you, young man. Your directions have saved me some time." he smiled at him, the teenage boy awkwardly scratching the back of his head.</p><p>"Uh, that's fine." he tried to play down his actions, before turning his heels, continuing on his way, "Have a good day, sir."</p><p>With those helpful directions, Iroh quickly made his way over to the noodle stall, which had a line of three in front of him. He saw that they looked nice enough, and more importantly, were hot. He'd enjoyed some rice gruel for breakfast, before he left Sung's family farm, but he was sure the noodles would be the last thing he'd eat that night. He didn't have enough money to spare to go around getting himself a full meal.</p><p>"Wow!" he heard somebody cry out, and then he noticed that people were turning their gazes around behind him.</p><p>He did the same, and his jaw dropped as he immediately recognised what he was looking at; the Avatar's sky-bison was flying right over the village, some distance above them, but it was clearly distinguishable with its six legs and cream-coloured fur.</p><p>"The Avatar!" he heard a few people at different moments call out the same thing; they obviously saw what he was seeing, proving that he wasn't deluded from fatigue and hunger.</p><p>"Oh..." he gasped, realising that if the Avatar was right above him, his niece couldn't be too far away, "Azula." he whispered her name, smiling at he said it; he hoped he could see her sooner rather than later, but he knew that putting her life in danger was well and truly worse than simply doing the same for some Fire Nation soldiers he might happen to run into.</p><p>He missed her after all her months away, and he knew that he might have to stay away from her, at least for her own safety. She realised that she might be coming his way, or worse, looking for his would-be assassins. For all he knew, the world might think him to be dead, even if it had only been two days; people loved to come to conclusions, especially when it came to such dramatic news. He turned back around, knowing that he couldn't do much but continue what he was doing, and hope that fate might keep his niece on her journey, and not rushing into his arms. He waited in line, and listened in to what the villagers ahead of him were talking about; unsurprisingly, it all had to do with the sky-bison that had just flown over the village.</p><p>"Wow, the Avatar... in our village." one man exclaimed, "That's gotta be some kind of luck."</p><p>"I wish he'd stopped here, that would have been great. I've always wanted to meet an Avatar." another man told him, raising his hands up, "And an Air Nomad. Nobody's seen one of those in a hundred years."</p><p>"Maybe the Fire Nation is chasing him." a woman turned around to face them, "That's that opposite of good luck. If they come here thinking he's been here, they might turn the whole village upside down."</p><p>"The Fire Nation like to act tough, but I haven't seen them do anything other than ask for their stupid taxes." the first man argued, "I doubt they'd attack us."</p><p>"They've attacked a lot of villages. That's pretty arrogant of you to say." the woman argued, "We're just lucky the Earth Kingdom army abandoned ours without a fight."</p><p>"They were just more worried about kissing the King of Omashu's toes than doing their jobs." the second man argued, before grimacing, "I heard he's really old... so that doesn't sound very nice."</p><p>Iroh snickered at the mention of King Bumi's toes; he was sure that nobody in their right mind would want to go anywhere near the foot of a highly muscular and powerful earthbender, no matter how old he happened to be. That caught the villagers' attention, and he cringed slightly, realising that they were all looking at him.</p><p>"You think the King's got gross toes?" the villager asked Iroh, who shook his head, not agreeing with their presumptions.</p><p>"I've heard he's a master earthbender. Going near his feet is not a good idea."</p><p>"Where'd you hear that?" the woman asked him, "He's really old. I doubt any old guy could lift a rock."</p><p>"Oh, you'd be surprised." Iroh noted, knowing for a fact with his own late father that age and bending powers didn't correlate very well; though he never imagined himself fighting Fire Lord Azulon, he was sure it would be a terrible idea- there was reason Ozai had named his daughter after him, other than the obvious toe-kissing it was.</p><p>"What, can you bend anything? You look pretty on the old side yourself." one of the men prodded him, making Iroh laugh.</p><p>"No, no." he assured him, a straight lie, but it sounded convincing enough, "I can make a good cup of tea, though."</p><p>"Now, that's a brag if I've ever heard one." the man crossed his arms, leaning over to the other, who he presumed to be his friend, "Do you this homeless guy can make tea?"</p><p>"I'm not homeless." Iroh assured him, "I simply am a humble traveller." he assured him, "But if you want to test my tea-making skills, please, give me a pot and some tea leaves. I'm sure we could have a great conversation." he suggested, making the man chuckle.</p><p>"You wanna talk to me?" he almost scoffed, "What's interesting about me?"</p><p>"I don't know, but I'm sure there's something. Everybody's got their own paths, and you're on your own. I don't know what it is, but I'm sure you might."</p><p>"Huh... I guess I do." he raised a finger to his chin, surprised by his words, "I never thought I'd talk to a random old guy at the noodle stall."</p><p>"Where would you expect it?" the woman asked him, amused by his suggestion.</p><p>"I don't know. At a shrine or something. You know, sages and gurus, that kind of stuff." he admitted, before eyeing Iroh, "You seem like a worldly guy."</p><p>"Well, I've seen a lot in my years." he admitted, before narrowing his eyes, "Though, I think I still have much to learn."</p><p>"Excuse me, are you going to take your noodles or what?" he heard somebody speak up, the Fire Lord tilting his head to notice that the woman had yet to collect her noodles; she turned around, and her expression turned to one of surprise.</p><p>"Oh, I apologise." she tilted her head down, "I just got distracted by the sky-bison, that's all." she admitted, before taking the bowl into her hands, "Thanks."</p><p>"No problem, Ling." the stall-owner simply acknowledged her, before eyeing the two men, "Are you two buying together or separately?"</p><p>One of them stepped forward, "I'm buying for myself, not this idiot." he argued, making the other man snidely glare at him.</p><p>"Come on, that was uncalled for." he crossed his arms, making the other snicker.</p><p>"Yeah, whatever." he dismissed his words, before he eyed behind Iroh, "Huh... those are some weird looking soldiers." he mumbled, the Fire Lord's eyes widening.</p><p>Turning around, he noted that there were half a dozen of the assassins standing in the market, half of them and the other half unarmed, presumably firebenders; the fact the mind-explosion firebender wasn't there was a great relief to Iroh, but it didn't make the situation any better. However, their eyes turning to Iroh specifically told him his disguise didn't work that well.</p><p>"Well, crap." he mumbled, before one of them stepped forward, pointing toward the Fire Lord.</p><p>"Get him!" he commanded their comrades, who firebent right toward the Dragon of the West; he took a deep breath, before he thrust his hands forward, creating a wall of flames which towered between him and his attackers, narrow enough that it avoided burning any of the stalls or nearby market-goers.</p><p>He immediately turned around and grimaced, "Well, I guess I won't be having noodles today." he dejectedly acknowledged, before glancing up the street, noting it was clear enough.</p><p>The people surrounding him were currently confused and shocked by what they had just seen, before he decided to reveal his identity in the most extreme way possible. He spun his hands around, sparks coursing between his fingers, before he channeled the energy out of his left hand, striking the ground in front of the assassins, throwing them off their feet. He took a deep breath, realising that he ought to avoid lightning generation, lest he exhaust himself and leave himself open to attack.</p><p>"My apologies." he simply addressed the market-goers, "I'll get out of your hairs now." he explained, one of the men he had been talking to pointing toward him with a shocked face.</p><p>"That's not just some old guy, that's the Dragon of the West!" he accused him, making the Fire Lord chuckle, before he dashed forward, running as fast as his feet could take him, hoping to draw the assassins out of the village as quickly as he could.</p><p>"The Avatar and the Fire Lord in one day! We must be real lucky!" one of the villagers proclaimed; the other villager's terrified faces suggested they didn't agree with the luck part of his statement- it was sure a surprise for them, but they were not lucky to be in Iroh's presence.</p><p>A few moments later he heard the sound of one of the assassins shout out an order, "Don't just sit on your arses! Kill him!"</p><p>Iroh weaved down under a fire stream that was sent his way, before dispersing a fire whip that came right at his head; he then made a small fire blast, conserving his energy as he struck one of the assassins in the head, throwing him down to the ground. He then stepped out of the way of another fire blast, countering the attack with his own, hitting one of the assassins in the chest. One of the charged at him with a sword, and though the wielder seemed to have some skill with the weapon, Iroh's firebending was faster; two bolts of fire to his shins and a fist to the gut, he was able to disarm his opponent before he threw his sword away.</p><p>"You really must be getting paid a lot if you're willing to get beat up this often." he noted, before crouching under another fire stream sent his way; he kicked the man he'd just disarmed in the leg, making him fall over and form an incidental roadblock to slow down his comrades' pursuit of the Fire Lord, who decided at that moment to make a break to escape the market and the danger posed to him.</p><p>He continued to run up through the village, hoping that he could at least fight the assassins somewhere further afield, where he wouldn't be putting the safety of innocents in danger. He grunted as a fireball struck his back, though he was quick enough to pat out the flames before they consumed his robes. He couldn't lose his new outfit, not after all the goodwill he had received from that Earth Kingdom family. He turned around, and sighed, seeing two more swordsmen running after him; he hoped his attackers had some coins on them- at the very least, that might make up for his lack of lunch.</p><p>"Today just isn't my day."</p>
<hr/><p>"Oh, Prince Zuko, dinner is not ready yet."</p><p>Zuko tensed up, and glanced toward the table before him; he knew he ought to be punctual in arriving for dinner, as his father would surely chide him if he dared to be late. He knew that he might have something to say.</p><p>"My father will be here soon. I want to be able to greet him." he lied, the servant smiling at him.</p><p>"How kind of you, your highness." he commended his efforts, before turning his gaze around, "I will head to the kitchen and tell the cooks to hurry up. It would be a great shame for a Prince to go hungry."</p><p>"Thank you." he smiled at him, genuinely appreciative of the servant's diligence, "Please, I won't keep you. Go do what you must." he gestured over to the kitchen.</p><p>"Would you like some water? Tea, perhaps?" he asked, the Prince raising his chin up.</p><p>"Just some water would be fine." he decided, the servant bowing toward him.</p><p>"I'll retrieve it at once." he assured him, before turning his heels, pacing over toward the nearby kitchen.</p><p>The Prince strode over toward the table, and sat at the seat to the right of where he knew his father would be sitting. Azula would usually sit across from him, but she had been gone for months, and Zuko was glad for it. Being able to sit down and eat dinner without her making faces at every remark their father made about him was surely a blessing from the spirits, if they happened to be that considerate of his grievances.</p><p>His mind turned back to what he would soon have to face; his father, Prince Ozai, had been in meetings with the war council all afternoon, and he guessed there might be some news about his uncle. He was hoping that he was alright, but he wasn't going to doubt his father's choice with assassins; he didn't seem like the kind of person to leave a job unfinished, even if he wasn't the one out there trying to kill his brother.</p><p>The whole idea disturbed Zuko greatly, and he hoped that his father failed; every failure would get Iroh closer to the capital, and to reclaiming his power, and presumably, dealing with Ozai directly. In the case his father really did achieve his goal, then the Prince might have to reconsider his place in the capital; it wouldn't be safe for him, or Mai either, given her role in his machinations. He knew that soon enough, he would have to make a choice; he could leave the capital, and with it, any hope of getting more intelligence about his father's operations.</p><p>In that scenario, he would lose any way to effectively assist his uncle, in the case a more public fight began between the Fire Lord and his younger brother. The other option was remaining as long as he could, and hopefully figuring out exactly what his father desired to do, and thus find a way to stop him with as few casualties and danger as possible.</p><p>His chain of thought was interrupted by the servant coming back into the room with a ceramic jug of water, "My apologies, your highness. The water wasn't where I expected it to be."</p><p>"It's fine." he raised a hand, stressing that he really wasn't fussed by it; the servant stepped over toward him, and leaned forward, pouring the water into the cup in front of him.</p><p>"Thank you." he gave the servant a curt smile, which made the man a little nervous; perhaps he wasn't very used to people in the palace being sincerely kind with him- generals and ministers were rather cocky and arrogant individuals, from what he understood.</p><p>Once the water poured for him, he picked up the cup, and took a sip from it; the liquid was cool and crisp, and helped him cool down. He'd just been doing some firebending training, and had exhausted himself thoroughly, though he'd washed up quickly afterwards, before getting into his royal robes. He sighed after it, and placed it down on the table; he glanced around, hearing the doors to the dining room open. His father was standing at the doorway, eyeing his son with suspicion.</p><p>"Prince Zuko, you were early." he observed, almost holding back a laugh, "How was your training?"</p><p>"It went well, Father." he simply responded, not wanting to go into any details; he didn't have Azula to compare to, so he guessed the conversation on firebending would be rather curt, "I hope my tutor lets me begin more advanced sets when I show him my bending."</p><p>"Master Longchi." Ozai referred to his tutor by name, "He's not holding you back, is he?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head.</p><p>"He's stern and calculated. I have learned much under his tutelage." he explained, not wanting to directly refute his father, who nodded, before he strode over to his seat.</p><p>"Water." the elder Prince simply asked the servant, who strode over to the table, picking up the jug, and poured some of the cool liquid into his cup.</p><p>"Were your meetings productive, Father?" Zuko decided to ask him, hoping that they might at the very least have a productive dinner table conversation; it was better to gather some more information than just awkwardly sit there and answer his father's carefully worded questions.</p><p>"Fine." he narrowed his eyes, "I have yet to hear what has happened with the Fire Lord." he explained; his referral to his brother by his title suggested that Ozai was yet to think himself the Fire Lord, even if he, by fact, held all of Iroh's authority while he was not present in the capital, "The Fire Navy are searching for those who dared to attack the leader of our nation. It would be a disgrace if they weren't caught."</p><p>"Yes, it would be." Zuko noted, his straight face and serious tone disguising his fear; he knew there were many dangers that came with his father's assassins going after his uncle, the most obvious being the threat to Iroh's life.</p><p>If the assassins were in contact with his father, if they recovered Mai's letter to his uncle, he was a dead man, that was certain; he knew that was a clear possibility, and that was why he was already beginning to consider his need to leave the capital, perhaps permanently. Permanently in the sense that he couldn't reasonably return until his father was removed from power; he didn't know if it would be Iroh doing that or somebody else.</p><p>There was a possibility that with his return, the Avatar might play a role in fighting his father, especially if Ozai's plans became public knowledge; if anybody was not going to tolerate his father's actions against the Earth Kingdom, it was the one person whose people had experienced exactly what he sought to enact. He didn't know what was going on with Azula's mission, but he assumed she was already going after him; it was only a matter of time before she fought the Avatar, and he had a feeling she might be victorious. That would be terrible news, for a variety of reasons, the most pressing of which being that the Avatar's imprisonment would give his father good reason to demote Zuko from his birthright and make his sister Crown Princess, assuming that Iroh was believed to be dead.</p><p>"It's no worry, Prince Zuko. Those criminals will soon be brought to justice." he assured him with a smug look on his face, "My daughter might even strike them down herself."</p><p>"She's..." he began, before turning his eyes away, "Is she going to assist Uncle?"</p><p>"As the most capable person in his general vicinity, I assume she would be elated to take the honour of serving her Fire Lord." he noted, "What a shame that you couldn't go off... seeing how worried you are your uncle." he acknowledged with a seemingly sympathetic face, though he was certain it was not sympathy he was feeling.</p><p>Zuko felt like screaming with fear, knowing that his father's words were a blunt acknowledgement his treacherous actions; he knew that his son knew, and that's why he was willing to say what he had- it was a disguised threat, and a good one at that. Only those that knew what had actually happened to his uncle would have any idea of Ozai's true intentions. He had sent men to kill his brother, and acted like he felt bad for Zuko; he hadn't felt anywhere near as considerate when his cousin had actually died, so he knew it was a lie. Ozai was nowhere near as good as lying as Azula was, no matter how skilled he was at politicking and intrigue.</p><p>"I wish I could serve my nation as she has." he admitted, his words only half a lie.</p><p>He wanted to help Iroh, but he didn't know how to in a way that wouldn't put himself in mortal danger; Azula, on the other hand, had the great advantage of being as far from their father as she could be.</p><p>"Perhaps you can, Prince Zuko." Ozai suggested; if it weren't for what he knew, he might have thought that his father was genuinely considering his capabilities, but he knew he was just mocking him- he wanted to prod him into reacting, into revealing himself, but he couldn't.</p><p>"I will, Father." he agreed with his proposition, "When my time comes, I am sure I will." he reaffirmed his point, which made his father smirk slightly.</p><p>"Has Master Longchi spoken of lightning generation yet?"</p><p>"Only off-handedly." he clarified, "He doesn't think I'm ready."</p><p>"I'd like to disagree with your master, my son." he decided, rather surprisingly, raising a hand up, "You've shown you are more than capable of achieving such feats. Any firebenders strength comes from their inner fire, not their ability to replicate forms." he acknowledged, his words a direct contradiction of what he had told him on numerous occasions.</p><p>He had frequently called his son a disappointment because of how worse he had been at perfecting his forms when compared to his younger sister. Ozai could cherry pick firebending theory to suit his agenda, which seemed to be at that very moment to scare the shit out of him; he was stressing the point of Zuko's achievements, which had been subversive, treacherous actions, which his father must have had some understanding of.</p><p>"Thank you, Father. I will ask him if I can begin practicing the forms." he assured him, his pleasantries simply lies to keep away his real feelings, and to his own surprise, they were not feelings of hatred or disgust.</p><p>He felt a far stronger feeling than hate or disgust, that being pure terror. His smile on any other person, perhaps even Azula, might be seen as approving, and perhaps he was approving of his treachery; maybe he did think he was worthy, but the very fact he knew of what he had done made Zuko want to bolt out of that room and run from the palace, hoping that his father wouldn't try to kill him.</p><p>"Your highness." he heard the voice of another servant, and turned his gaze over toward him; he was relieved that somebody had showed up, if only to distract him from the thoughts Ozai was practically forcing into his head by that point.</p><p>"What is it?" the elder Prince snappily asked the servant, "Can't you see I'm having a conversation with my son?"</p><p>"I bear a message from your daughter. You explicitly asked for these to be delivered to you at once." he explained, before stepping forward with a scroll, "Your highness." he bowed toward Ozai, who picked the scroll out of his hand.</p><p>"That I did." he noted, before waving his hand up, gesturing for the servant to leave; he cracked open the scroll, and glanced down it, his lips pursing upward.</p><p>"Good." he simply commented on what he had read, before turning his eyes to his son, "Zuko, your sister has done what all those before her have failed to achieve." he explained, raising the scroll up in his hand, "The Avatar is ours."</p><p>Zuko's eyes widened as he realised that what he had just heard had confirmed some of his worst fears; the Avatar was both a tool for his sister to displace him on the line of succession, as well as one of the only individuals who could reasonably oppose his heinous plans. It was terrible news, but he forced out a smile.</p><p>"Brilliant." he lied through his teeth, "She has brought great honour to our family in doing so."</p><p>"That she has." he confirmed, before glancing back down the scroll, "Oh, and she's heading on a slight detour before she brings the Avatar here." he observed, narrowing his eyes, "She's going to find your uncle's assassins and slaughter them all."</p><p>"Did she actually write that?" he asked him, his father showing him the scroll; he read down the bottom of it, and noted that in less than perfect handwriting was that specific declaration, that she intended to kill them all for their disgraceful actions against their family.</p><p>"Yes she did, Prince Zuko. I believe I was right in my assumptions." Ozai proudly declared, though Zuko was less concerned about that but rather what his sister had actually wanted to do.</p><p>He was certain that was a very fancy way of saying she was out for revenge. For all it was worth, even if he was unhappy with Azula capturing the Avatar, there was one thing he could agree with. He pursed his lips upward at the thought of his father's assassins not just failing, but finding their lives ended by the daughter of the very man who hired them. Zuko did not relish in death, but knowing what had happened to Lu Ten, he could confidently say he would tolerate the idea of a bunch of men being horrifically burnt to death and shot with lightning bolts for trying to dare take his uncle's life. Perhaps he'd even enjoy the news of hearing their demise, if only to counterbalance his fears over his uncle's fate.</p><p>
  <span>"She won't disappoint you, Father."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The Malleability of Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>The disenchanted look on his niece's face made Iroh feel a little guilty; he was very skilled at Pai Sho, so it was no surprise that she continued to lose to him in their games, though she was clearly improving. All she needed was some practice and encouragement, and perhaps, she might be as good as him some day; he did not know if she would understand Pai Sho as he did. It was more than a game, and opened his eyes in many ways, which he wasn't going to try and explain to his rather impressionable adolescent niece. She was a smart girl, and could come to the same conclusions he had, if she was pushed in the right direction.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There is no need to feel sad, Azula. You have improved greatly in these past few months." he stressed, making her sigh, shaking her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This is just embarrassing, Uncle." she dejectedly responded, raising her right hand to cover her face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Now, now, don't worry. You played well." he assured her, "No one's going to be angry that you lost."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I bet Zuko's been watching." she argued, glancing toward the doorway behind her, "He could tell Father."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula, I don't think your father cares about if you lose a Pai Sho game." he assured her, his niece shaking her head, obviously believing otherwise.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuzu wants to be better than me. He'd say that to Father, and he would tell me to go do my firebending instead." she explained, crossing her arms, "And then I'd spend even more time training under Lo and Li."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You say that like it's a bad thing." Iroh observed, Azula grimacing slightly, before she turned her eyes down.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They're annoying, Uncle. I wish I could have a little bit more freedom when it comes to my schedule, but no... I have to be more organised than a front-line soldier." she argued, making him chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you forced out of bed at dawn, my niece?" he asked her, the Princess shaking her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No... but that's what it feels like." she admitted, before turning her gaze back up towards him, "Is this what it will be like?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"In the army?" he asked his niece, who nodded, "I guess so." he confirmed, "Though, I assume if you joined the army, you would be given a rank respective of your station as a Princess. You wouldn't be the one getting forced out of bed, but forcing others up." he clarified, which seemed to relieve her greatly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good." she simply commented, before narrowing her eyes, "I don't know when that's going to happen."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're only thirteen, Azula. You have much time to learn and grow before you have to consider joining the army. Who knows, maybe the war will be over by then, and you won't have to." he suggested, not wanting her to get too set on the idea of serving in the army.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knew that things could change in the span of a few years when it came to the war, and he didn't want her to go racing off to go serve her country; that's what Lu Ten had done, and even with all his training at the academy, and all the firebending training he had done with him, he had still befallen a terrible fate. If there was one thing he hoped to do for his niece, it was to guide her away from making the same mistakes he had; he could not bear to see her suffer in the way Lu Ten had, or perhaps even worse, become a hardened, ruthless killer- she was determined and headstrong, but she was not a killer, not yet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Will you go back out and conquer the last of the Earth Kingdom, Uncle?" she asked him, making the Crown Prince chuckle; he laughed to hold back his nervousness to such a suggestion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even if his father had asked that he lead the siege to conquer Omashu, the last major Earth Kingdom city that continued to defy the Fire Nation's rule, he might have refused, though he knew that was a bad idea; angering the Fire Lord, no matter how old he was, was not a wise idea in the slightest.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I think I've done my duty to the Fire Nation. I look forward to serving my country in other ways." he explained, knowing that sooner or later, he'd be Fire Lord, and would be able to enact his agenda, and hopefully, bring lasting peace to the Four Nations in the process.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You will be the Fire Lord." she simply observed the fact of the matter, before smirking, "I think you'll do well, Uncle."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I hope I do." he smiled at her, before glancing over to the teapot he had beside the Pai Sho board, "Did you want a cup of tea before you left?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It wouldn't hurt." she conceded, "I'd prefer to avoid my afternoon sets for as long as I can."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you getting lazy? That's rather odd for you." he observed, somewhat amused, but also a little concerned; perhaps her mind was not in the right place at the very moment- stress or isolation, the latter perhaps coming from the fact her good friend, Ty Lee, had left the Fire Nation Capital a few weeks prior.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not lazy, Uncle." she snapped back at him, her terse voice suggesting she was a little offended, "I'm just frustrated."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're a teenage girl. I'm sure getting a little frustrated from time to time at your age is normal." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, "Has anything happened? Anything... unpleasant?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She remained silent for a few moments, before looking him right in the eye, "Mai's been acting weird." she explained, which didn't make much sense to him without any context, "I think Zuko and her might have had a fight. She hasn't wanted to talk much at school." she explained, "They're like a married couple."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh snickered, amused by his niece's analogy, "And how would you know what a married couple is like?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've seen her parents. They bicker quite a lot." she simply explained her knowledge, "I don't know. Perhaps it's something else."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe it was your friend leaving. She and Mai are close, aren't they?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, of course, but they both like me more." she assured him, before her confident smile faltered slightly; despite her usual confidence when it came to dealing with people, his niece couldn't seem to stand the idea of being the third wheel.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, maybe it doesn't have to do with your brother." he suggested, "Perhaps she's just sad your friend left."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It is different without Ty Lee." she admitted, "She's the only person who can act happy in the worst of situations." she noted, before eyeing him, "And there's you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I just take what life gives me, my niece. I did not choose my life, and I have simply made the most of it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You must have regrets, though." she stated the obvious; there was one glaring regret that neither of them wanted to discuss, but was ever present, looming over every single conversation they had.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Everyone does." he simply conceded, "You can't let them control you, Azula. The past is out of your hands. You can repent for it, and you can make light of it, but dwelling on it does no one any good." he explained his thoughts on the matter, hoping they might help her when she considered her memories of her cousin, "If anything, you can use the good memories to... well, try and make more good ones."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hmph." she raised a finger to her chin, "Perhaps I should challenge Zuko to a spar and see if he can face me off."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That mightn't end very well, Niece." he warned her, the Princess pursing her lips upward; perhaps agitating Zuko was enjoyable because it was the only way to get his attention, sadly enough- the two siblings were rather antagonistic toward each other, and though that hostility had seemed to have softened, it seemed that it was still boiling under the surface.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're right, Uncle, but I've got to make some good memories, and I'm sure that'll lead to some." she suggested, the Crown Prince sighing; he did not want to see them needlessly fight, but he knew that it would be an uphill battle to dissuade her to think otherwise.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fighting your brother can't be the only way to communicate with him." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, "Maybe you should do something else. Pai Sho, perhaps?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'd thrash Zuko at Pai Sho. He'd go and cry after that too." she argued, the Crown Prince shaking his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, then perhaps you ought to avoid competition with him." he suggested, the Princess scoffing at his suggestion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's impossible. Father has us show off our forms in front of him nearly every day." she argued, "He's going to be jealous no matter what I do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Acknowledging each other's strengths is a path to bonding with each other." he proverbially suggested, knowing that if she at least made the first step, maybe her brother would reciprocate in kind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uncle... that's not going to work." she retorted, almost dejected in her tone; she could not believe that they could be anything but rivals, vying for their father's respect.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you try and fail, it might be a first." he acknowledged, chuckling a little at the suggestion, "But that's alright. It would be better to fail trying to be a better sister than to fail at something that might really put you in danger."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I mean..." she mumbled, glancing off to the side before she sighed, "I can see what you mean. Father won't chide me for trying to give Zuko advice."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, he won't." he agreed with her presumption, "Now, let's not worry about what you might have to say to your brother. We were going to have tea, remember?" he asked her, his niece smiling; perhaps she just wanted the distraction, or maybe, she did believe that it could be possible to bridge the gap between her and Zuko.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, Uncle, we are."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Princess Azula wondered what hurt more- the disgrace of losing a battle and the Avatar, or the bruises going up her back that had formed after she had been flung into a tree twice; once from the explosive power of the insanely powerful assassin, and another time from her own lightning generation backfiring on her. The medic onboard her ship, who was applying herbal medicine to her bruises, was being rather cautious in his strokes, obviously not wanting to cause her any unnecessary pain as he applied the paste to her skin. She was still Princess Azula, despite her failings, and she was still feared by all onboard her ship for the reprisal she might give upon them for incompetence, especially when it came to her physical condition.</p><p>She didn't want to get angry at the physician however, knowing that her anger ought to be squarely on herself; she had been arrogant enough to let Aang out of his room, thinking she might be able to take him to her uncle, when in the end she had inadvertently allowed him to escape. Not only that, but she had nearly, by letting him escape, got both herself, her men, and perhaps the Avatar and his friends killed; she didn't want any of them to die, even the Water Tribe savages who she knew barely nothing about. She knew that their lives must have been of importance and value to the Avatar, and thus, for her aspirations to capture him. At that very moment, Aang wasn't what she had her mind set on; rather, she was intent on going after the assassins as soon as she was well enough to do so.</p><p>The physician had already told her when he first checked her injuries that she mightn't be able to fight at full strength for a few days, and though she didn't mention her inability to generate lightning, he seemed to notice that she was off; she didn't know what the root cause of her ailment was, but she had a feeling it had something to do with her uncle and Aang. Perhaps her emotions were getting in the way, like they tended to do with her brother, whose anger was almost a defining part of his personality; if she was stooping to the levels of Zuko, it would not surprise her that she would be unable to generate lightning, which required a kind of focus he certainly wouldn't be able to muster.</p><p>"Princess Azula, I'll need to wrap your back with bandages to keep the paste in place." the physician raised his voice, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"No, I will do that myself." she decided, not wanting him, or anybody else for that matter, around her while she brooded, "Just give me the bandages and some space. I'll call you in when I'm done." she decided, the physician nodding, handing to her a roll of thick bandage.</p><p>She took it into her hand and began to unwrap it, while the physician stepped back and moved toward the door of the room; they were in a small room within the infirmary, intended for surgeries and other procedures the physician might have to undertake- she only had the room because she was the commander of the vessel, not because she required that level of care. Azula sighed as she pulled the bandage around her chest, tying it from her abdomen to the portion of her back opposite, before tying it around a few more times.</p><p>The paste felt cold on her skin, and even odder as she tightened its touch with the bandages, a contrast to the warm air inside the ship; it was always warm, as if they were always trying to imitate the usual temperatures one would find in the Fire Nation homeland, which made sense, given that the ship was a Royal Barge, intended to comfort and house a Fire Lord, if need be. Once she had the bandage wrapped around her back and abdomen, she pulled her undershirt back down properly and tied it up, making sure she was going to be fully clothed when she left the infirmary; she was still Princess Azula, after all, and couldn't simply go walking around without her royal armour on- that would be improper of her, given the rank she had.</p><p>She then glanced back toward the doorway and snapped her fingers, hoping that would get the physician's attention; after a few moments, the door was opened once more, and he stepped back inside, noting she had fixed up her clothes, "Your highness, did you want me to check your chi-pathways?" he asked her, "Intense fighting tends to stress and strain the abilities of firebenders."</p><p>"Fine." she shrugged her shoulders, before gesturing to the table she had been sitting on, "Am I lying down for this?"</p><p>"There's no need. I just need you to firebend for me." he explained, the Princess nodding, raising both her hands up, looking at them; they hadn't been bandaged, but there were cuts over her skin, especially on her palms.</p><p>"Simply create a flame in each palm." he explained, the Princess nodding, before doing just that; she made two small flames in either palm, which shone brightly.</p><p>"Hmph, you flames still burn bright." he observed, "You must be very focused." he added, the Princess rolling her eyes.</p><p>"Do I even need to say why?"</p><p>"No, your highness. I understand what happened." he admitted with a nervous expression, before stepping closer, "Now, I am going to lightly tap your chi-pathways. This should show any weaknesses or oddities with you chi."</p><p>"So, the baby version of chi-blocking." she noted, making him raise a brow.</p><p>"Uh, I guess that's a way you could phrase it." he admitted, "I'm not trying to block your chi, Princess. I would not dare try to harm you."</p><p>"Your job description is pretty explicit on that part." she snapped back at him, just wanting him to get along with it.</p><p>A few moments later, he lightly jabbed her right forearm, and she felt her flames falter for a moment, flickering dimmer for just a moment, before it intensified once more. He moved to her left forearm, and made another jab, which made her flames dim once more.</p><p>"Hmph, you chi-paths seem to be working as they should. Your physical injuries don't seem to have had much of an effect on them." he noted, making a small smile, "That means your recovery might be quick, your highness."</p><p>"Just get on with it." she demanded, the physician nodding.</p><p>"Of course." he accepted her command, before moving around the table so that he was situated behind her, "I have to tap your back. I know it might hurt, but it is the main chi path in your body."</p><p>"I know that." she shook her head, not wanting to get a lecture of chi-paths, again.</p><p>Ty Lee had told her enough about them and chi-blocking, and not because the Princess had asked about it, but because she never seemed to be able to shut up when she was around her; it was somewhat useful information, of course, and she knew that knowledge might help her better understand her issue with producing lightning.</p><p>The physician leaned over and lightly jabbed the base of her spine, making her flames suddenly grow more intense, before they withered away into nothing, Azula's eyes widening with shock; she turned around and grasped him by the collar, "What did you just do?!" she snarled at him, the Princess ready to burn his face off if he didn't tell her what he just did.</p><p>"That is your earth chakra." he explained, making her narrow her eyes; she'd heard about chakras before from Lo and Li, but they didn't go into much detail, simply explaining that control of one's chakras was intertwined to one's bending abilities, "It seems to be blocked."</p><p>"Enough with the spiritual jargon." she snarled, letting go of his collar, "What does that mean?"</p><p>"That you are afraid of something."</p><p>"Wow." she sarcastically showed surprise, "That's the most amazing thing I've heard all day. Next you'll tell me I can't firebend because I'm as much a wuss as Aang." she mocked him, knowing for certain it was not the case; she faced her fears head on, and conquered them.</p><p>Even if she had failed to defeat the assassin, that was not because of fear, but because of overwhelming odds; there was no reasonable way for her to defeat him without lightning, and thus, she had no choice but to retreat. She had been afraid of him, but she had swallowed that fear; what angered her was that despite that resolve, she had failed to kill him.</p><p>"I- uh... I didn't mean to offend you, your highness. That is simply what the earth chakra is blocked by."</p><p>"And how is it relevant to my firebending?" she asked him, not wanting to have to discuss any potential fears she might have with a stranger.</p><p>He shook his head, leaning back slightly, as if he were afraid she might grapple his collar again, "It does not relate to your strength as a firebender. That comes from the fire chakra." he explained, the Princess raising a hand to her head.</p><p>"Then jab that one instead." she demanded, before relighting the flames in her hands.</p><p>He turned around the table, facing her front, "It's at your stomach."</p><p>She gestured her hands toward it, "I won't grapple you again if you hurry up." she demanded of the physician, who then took a deep breath.</p><p>A moment later, he jabbed his fingers into her gut, and her flames cut out, which made sense, given that his move was rather similar to chi-blocking. A few moments later, however, her flames returned, and they were no different than to before.</p><p>"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your fire chakra."</p><p>"There's something wrong, somewhere." she simply admitted, before narrowing her eyes, "You must promise not to share what I am about to tell you."</p><p>"Of course, your highness."</p><p>"I don't think you understand." she warned him, "There's someone who cannot know about this, and I believe you might know who that person is. He has spies on this ship. If you count yourself among them, then leave this room at once." she warned him, the physician shaking his head.</p><p>"Your highness, Fire Lord Iroh chose me personally to accompany you." he assured her, making her narrow her eyes at him.</p><p>"Do you know my uncle well?"</p><p>"I have helped his majesty from time to time." he explained, "But no, I don't know him that well. Everyone knows who the Dragon of the West is."</p><p>"That they do." she acknowledged his observation; her uncle was well-known and respected by almost everyone in his country for his feats during the war, and that was before he ascended to his position as Fire Lord, "It's my lightning generation."</p><p>"That is a rare ability, your highness." he acknowledged, before narrowing his eyes, "It does not relate to the fire chakra like other abilities of your element." he explained, "To generate lightning, one must have peace of mind. That means it can only be accessed with open sound and light chakras."</p><p>"And what blocks those?" she asked, the physician narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"Lies and illusion." he explained, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</p><p>"Lies?" she scoffed, "Well, I am quite a good liar myself." she noted rather smugly, rather proud of her skill.</p><p>"It is not the lies you tell others, but the lies you tell yourself." he explained, making her look down for a moment, considering what might be a lie she would tell her self; she sought knowledge and power, knowing that both came hand in hand- the truth was the ultimate weapon she could use, yet from what it seemed, there were lies blocking her path.</p><p>She realised that there was probably one lie that had become apparent between Kyoshi Island and fighting the assassins; the Avatar was just a boy, who had no ill intent on the world- he was not the enemy of the Fire Nation, and even if she wanted to capture him, it was more with the intention of taking him to her uncle, who might be able to communicate with him his own desires for the world.</p><p>If the Fire Lord and the Avatar could make peace, then that would be far better a conflict between her nation and the most powerful person alive. The other lie she had come to understand as being such was her own intentions; it was all about her uncle, and nothing to do with honour- she wanted him to see her as a worthy heir, and earn the respect she desired. She knew the truth, but she was unsure if she wanted to accept it; her father was still there, waiting for her in the capital, and forgoing his own beliefs would be paramount to calling them lies.</p><p>She sighed, and shook her head, "I need to find the Avatar." she decided, knowing that if there was a chance her uncle was still alive, she would do what she had set out to do; her efforts would not be in vain, and she would make herself the heir she knew her uncle needed.</p><p>"You can do that as soon as you are able." the physician assured her, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"I don't need to be able. I have my ship, and I have that war-machine created by War Minister Qin's engineers. It can take me overland after him, and as soon as that sky-bison lands, I'll capture him again." she declared, certain that she could achieve it; he narrowed his eyes at her, before nodding.</p><p>"Of course, your highness. There's just one more thing. Your light chakra."</p><p>"Illusion?" she asked him, "I have spent the past three months of my life trying to see past every illusion and ignorant understanding I have. I have insight, you need not concern yourself with that." she stressed, her cold voice stressing the fact; she did want him undermining her resolve and belief in knowledge- her new-found wisdoms would provide her with the strength she needed, and she was sure that she would need to find more to become the Princess she needed to be.</p><p>"I apologise, Princess Azula, I didn't mean to offend you... again." he bowed down toward her, "Will you leave now?" he asked, the Princess nodding.</p><p>"I need to go have a spa session. That might help soothe my aches for the meantime." she decided, stepping up from the table; before she could do anything else, the door of the infirmary burst open, and one of her Imperial Firebenders, who himself was injured, his arm in a sling, looked at her with an exasperated expression.</p><p>"What's the meaning of this?"</p><p>"H-he's alive, your highness." he explained, making her eyes widen, realising what he meant; she was almost ecstatic to hear that her uncle wasn't dead, but immediately her unease about his safety overtook any elation she may have felt.</p><p>"Where?"</p><p>"A village to the east of here." he explained, "The assassins came through the village just earlier this morning."</p><p>"Get the tank-train ready." she commanded him, "I know many of your group are injured, but this is more important than anything we have done in the past three months. We need to get to the Fire Lord before somebody else tries to kill him."</p><p>"Of course, your highness. It is our highest duty." he nodded, before darting down the hallway, ready to inform those that needed to be, so they could set off as quickly as possible.</p><p>She turned her gaze to the physician, and narrowed her eyes, realising how unusual his treatment had been; the whole spill on chakras and chi-paths was interesting, but she had not expected it, "Where did you learn all of that?"</p><p>"From my mother." he clarified, "She is a healer from one of the outer islands."</p><p>"Ah, so you're one of... those people." she noted, remembering that there were many people in the Fire Nation that still prescribed to the old ways, that of the traditional spirituality that permeated their nation in the past, only to be swept under the rug by Fire Lord Sozin's reforms of modernisation, "I can understand why my uncle would want your help." she noted, remembering the spiritual journey he had purportedly taken after his son's demise, though her uncle hadn't given her much details, perhaps on purpose.</p><p>"I do not know how you might be able to unblock your chakras. It is a thing that you can only achieve yourself." he admitted, the Princess narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"I already know the lies of this world, and I have a feeling you do as well."</p><hr/><p>When Appa landed, Aang could only sigh with relief; they'd been flying all day, but they had finally gotten up into the rugged hills, far from the coast, and thus, from the Fire Nation and the assassins who had tried to kill him and his friends. He was tired, and hurt from all the fighting, as were his friends, though they all clearly relieved things had gone their way. They had escaped, and Azula had let him do it; he thought the Princess was going to try and drag him away, but she gave up, and let them go free, though that was after he beat up the crazy-powerful mind-explosion firebender.</p><p>He thought perhaps she might be having second thoughts about her mission, or perhaps, avenging her uncle was a higher priority than catching him; the nicest possibility was that she was grateful for his help, and in return, was letting him free, even if only for a short while. His Water Tribe friends were glad to have him back, as were Momo and Appa, and he knew that after eating whatever food they had, they might be able to get some well-earned rest, away from danger and a step closer to getting to the North Pole.</p><p>Sokka raised his hands up into the air, and made a relieved face, "Finally!" he exclaimed, "Land!" he shouted out, before jumping down onto the grass beside them, rolling around in it.</p><p>"Stop rolling around in the grass, Sokka. We've got to make dinner." Katara chided her brother, who looked at her with an annoyed face.</p><p>"Have you never rolled in grass before? It's way better than snow. It's light and soft, like a blanket." he suggested, Aang chuckling at his reaction.</p><p>"Grass is pretty nice." he agreed with his thoughts, before glancing back toward the Water Tribe girl, "What do we have to eat?" he asked, cringing slightly at the thought they mightn't have much to eat.</p><p>"We got some food at Kyoshi Island before we went off after you." she explained, making a small smile, "I can make some rice stew, maybe with some greens."</p><p>"Sounds nice." he grinned at her, "How about you, Sokka? You must want dinner."</p><p>"I'm always hungry, Aang. Of course I do." he assured him, before rising up from the grass, "Hmph, I guess I better get some firewood." he noted, glancing around the clearing Appa had set down in; they were surrounded by tall, spindly trees, and Aang could already see some fallen branches by the edge of the clearing.</p><p>"Okay, Aang, could you help me get all the cookery out?" she asked him, the young Air Nomad nodding, before climbed over to the rear of the saddle, and opened up the saddlebag.</p><p>He pulled out the pot he knew they'd be using and then leapt off of the saddle, glancing around the clearing. He could see the Water Tribe teen gathering some branches, and decided to set the pot down nearby Appa, but not too close; he didn't want his sky-bison feeling uncomfortable from the heat of the fire. He then glanced around and saw that Katara had a bag of rice in her hands, and she smirked at him, raising it up above her head.</p><p>"Catch!" she threw it down at him, the young Air Nomad raising his hands up to conjure an air ball, which caught the bag of rice and held in place while he positioned himself so it would fall down into his hands.</p><p>He then placed the bag down next to the pot, and a few moments later, the Water Tribe girl had jumped down off of the saddle, with a few small bags of vegetables in her hands. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if they had any fresh water with them, or more specifically, enough to cook the rice and vegetables.</p><p>"Do we have enough water?" he asked her, the Water Tribe girl narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"Huh, I don't know. We might have to go fill up a water skin somewhere nearby."</p><p>"I saw a stream when we were flying over. It's just back that way." Aang explained, gesturing behind them.</p><p>"Okay." she nodded, before glancing toward her brother, "Sokka, start the fire. We're going to fill up the water skins."</p><p>The Water Tribe warrior glanced back toward them and raised a thumb up to show his approval, his sister quickly climbing back up onto the saddle, picking up two water skins. She tossed one to Aang, who caught it with ease, before she climbed back off of the saddle; they immediately set off in the direction of the stream, knowing that the quicker they got the water, the quicker they could start cooking dinner, and then, after that, get off to bed. Aang honestly felt a little bad as he already missed the comfortable quarters on Azula's ship which he had been afforded; if he had been tossed in a cell, then perhaps he wouldn't feel any longing to be back in a comfortable bed. He shook his head, knowing that might have been part of the Princess's plan; she may have wanted him to feel comfortable in his stay on the ship so he would be less conflictive about returning there- she wanted him to be her prisoner, though he couldn't be sure where she'd take him.</p><p>"Aang, are you still worried about her coming for you?" Katara asked him, making him blink a few times as he looked her way.</p><p>"Uh, I guess. I think she's more worried about her uncle though."</p><p>"Her uncle's the Fire Lord, right?" she asked, the young Air Nomad nodding; the uneasy look on her face suggested she wasn't very happy about the idea of Aang being dragged off to the Fire lord.</p><p>"He doesn't sound like a bad guy." he added, making her narrow her eyes at him.</p><p>"He's the leader of the Fire Nation. They conquered the world. How can he be a good guy?" she asked him, obviously skeptical of his suggestion.</p><p>"Well, I don't know. But Azula made him sound a lot nicer than herself, and she wasn't even that... evil, or anything. I mean, she's scary, but she doesn't seem that mean."</p><p>"Don't tell me you want to be her prisoner." she crossed her arms, "She's brainwashed you."</p><p>"No, no, I don't want to be her prisoner." he assured her, "But I think that if she isn't that bad, maybe the Fire Nation can be stopped without me having to go all... Avatar on them."</p><p>"I mean, I don't want us to fight the Fire Nation, not yet, but what else can you do? They're not just going to give up their control over the world, are they?" she asked him, the young Avatar cringing.</p><p>He didn't know what the Fire Lord wanted to do, but from the sounds of how Azula had described his intentions, he wanted peace as much as he did, and that was something Aang could definitely work with, if he was still alive, that was; Azula's father, on the other hand, from the short descriptions he had got from her, didn't seem like the kind of person he could make peace with.</p><p>"I don't know. We'll just have to find out."</p><p>"How?" she asked Aang, who shrugged his shoulders, not having an easy answer to that question; he was just a kid, and he didn't know anything about politics, or even how he was meant to do his job.</p><p>"I don't know. Maybe we can find the Fire Lord. He's missing, and on the run from those people that attacked us earlier today." he noted, the Water Tribe girl grimacing.</p><p>"I don't know, Aang. Won't it just be safer to head toward the North Pole? That's what we were going to do until-" she began, before the young Avatar raised a hand; she didn't need to tell him what had happened, because he'd had a long time on Azula's ship to mull over the fact.</p><p>"Yeah, I know, it's my fault." he admitted, "If I hadn't let being the Avatar get to my head, then maybe I might have taken your advice. You were right, Katara. We should have left as quickly as we could."</p><p>"Oh, well, I know that... but you know, I guess we learned some things from all this."</p><p>"Sokka learned how to wear make-up." he joked, remembering how funny he had looked in his Kyoshi Warrior outfit.</p><p>Katara giggled at the memory of that, "Oh yeah, he did look pretty funny." she noted, before she scrunched up her lips, glancing back toward the clearing momentarily before looking back his way, "You know... he kissed that Suki girl."</p><p>"Wait, really?" Aang's eyes widened with surprise, having remembered how rude he had been to the Kyoshi Warriors to begin with; to think that he had kissed one of them made it seemed like he was far better at getting people to like him than Aang was- that made him cringe slightly, thinking how he had tried to impress Katara, but had inadvertently got himself caught by Azula in the process.</p><p>"Is something wrong?"</p><p>"No... I just really stuffed up back at Kyoshi Island." he admitted, before smiling, "But I've learned my lesson. I know how I should act- an Avatar isn't supposed to be famous and everyone's favourite person. I've got to... well, do my duties." he conceded, the Water tribe girl's expression shifting to an approving one.</p><p>"That's right, Aang. As long as we continue on to the North Pole, we can master waterbending together, and then you can continue learning the elements." she explained, "Then we might be able to think about the whole Fire Nation issue."</p><p>"Mastering the elements might take a while." he noted, "I might have mastered airbending earlier than anybody else my age, but it still took a long time."</p><p>"I'm sure we can figure it out, Aang." she stressed, before gesturing down toward the stream, "But don't worry about that right now. Let's go get some water."</p><p>He nodded, and followed on after her, making their way down the slope toward the small stream that flowed down the hillside; it was rocky and there didn't seem to be much water, but small pools formed about, meaning there were places for them to gather water. The Water Tribe girl reached the edge of the stream first, and knelt over, running her water skin through it; Aang knelt down beside her, and did the same, before scrunching his lips up. They didn't have much food, but they did have money; he knew that they might be able to go to a nearby town or city, but with the Fire Nation occupying most places, it seemed a little dangerous to just walk into any random town.</p><p>"Maybe we should go to Omashu." he spoke his mind, Katara glancing back toward him.</p><p>"Omashu?" she asked in clarification, perhaps not knowing of the place.</p><p>"It's a city in the Earth Kingdom. It can't be that far away from where we are now." he explained, "I heard Azula mention the Fire Nation wanting to take it... which means it's free. That means we can go in without having to worry about the Fire Nation."</p><p>"So... we could buy some more food and stuff there?" she asked, the young Avatar nodding.</p><p>"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. If there's anywhere Azula won't be able to catch me, it's there." he argued, making her smirk, obviously not wanting to end up in the same situation they had been in at Kyoshi Island.</p><p>"Good point, Aang. We'll see what Sokka thinks about it. He's been doing the directions while we were following the ship." she explained, before standing up, glancing back up the slope.</p><p>The pair made their way back up the hillside, Aang taking note of the darkness that was falling around them; the sun had just set before they landed, and he was sure that it would be properly dark soon enough. That was a good incentive for them to start the fire up, and cook their dinner. Appa needed to rest, and they did too, so they'd sleep before they went anywhere. When they reached the clearing once more, Aang made sight of Sokka, who was kneeling over beside a pile of wood, trying to start the fire.</p><p>"Come on, you stupid thing." he growled under his breath, before smacking some spark rocks together, finally setting the twigs beneath them alight, "Ahaha!" he raised his hands up, "Perfect timing." he turned to face them with a smile, "Let's get cooking."</p><p>The pair approached the freshly lit campfire, and sat down beside it, eyeing the small flames that were slowly covering the sticks and twigs; Katara grabbed the pot, and placed it down beside the campfire before she poured the water in from her water skin. She pushed the pot closer to the fire, and then glanced at her brother.</p><p>"Well, now we wait." she simply noted, before glancing toward Aang, "So, Omashu. Do you know where that'd be on a map?"</p><p>"Oma-what?" Sokka narrowed his eyes, "Is this some other stupid place Aang wants to go to?"</p><p>"No, no, it's a city. We can get some more food and supplies there." he explained, "And Azula said it wasn't under Fire Nation rule, so it'll be safe."</p><p>The Water Tribesman crossed his arms, "Why are trusting anything an ash-maker says? She could be trying to trick you into going there."</p><p>"It was pretty random. She said her uncle was going there, before he got shipwrecked, to go make a treaty with their king." he explained, before smirking, "Maybe they won't surrender if they know the Avatar's back."</p><p>"I guess that's... well, they might." Sokka acknowledged, seeming ambivalent to the possibility of Aang being able to give the Earth Kingdom a little bit of hope, despite their dire situation in the war.</p><p>"I don't know, Aang. The Earth Kingdom is... well, it's not a very nice place at the moment. I heard from some villagers at Kyoshi Island that the Fire Nation controls all the big towns and cities, and they have defeated lots of rebels." she noted, "Resisting them... probably isn't the smartest idea.""But you want me to fight the Fire Nation. How's that any different?"</p><p>"You have a sky-bison, Aang. You're always on the move. Those rebels, they're trying to protect their villages, just like how Sokka was protecting ours." she explained, "Do you think Sokka and those little boys could have stopped the Fire Nation if they came to our village?"</p><p>"N-no..." he admitted dejectedly, "I'm sorry about the flare-signal-thingy, again."</p><p>"No, it's okay." Sokka raised a hand, "I get that it was an accident. You're just a kid, not a Fire Nation spy. I'm sorry."</p><p>"And I'm sorry for being a dummy and keeping us on Kyoshi Island." he admitted, the Water Tribe teen raising his chin.</p><p>"Well, I mean... you don't have to be that sorry." he admitted rather awkwardly, making his sister snicker.</p><p>"You really did like Suki, didn't you?" she elbowed Sokka, who hunched his shoulders.</p><p>"I wish we could have left there without nearly getting the village burned down." he acknowledged, the young Avatar grimacing slightly, not sure exactly what Azula would have done if he didn't surrender.</p><p>"Well, I don't think she would have done that."</p><p>"She beat the daylights out of the Kyoshi Warriors." he argued in return, stressing the violent nature of the Princess, the young Avatar raising a hand; he didn't want to be her prisoner, but he would defend her honour- she was there to do a job, not to hurt anybody.</p><p>"Because they moved to fight her. She just wanted me... and then the fighting stopped."</p><p>"Maybe if she was smarter, she might have checked the beach first." the Water Tribesman suggested, making Katara roll her eyes.</p><p>"Then she would have captured me and Aang." she argued, "Would have you preferred that you were stuck alone on Appa?"</p><p>"N-no..." he assured her, before chuckling, "Maybe I could have persuaded the Kyoshi Warriors to help me get you two back."</p><p>"Don't worry about that." Aang assured him, "I'm back, and we're safe. That's what matters."</p><p>"What about dinner? Dinner matters, right?" the Water Tribe warrior asked, sounding pained from the lack of food, which made his sister roll her eyes.</p><p>"Urgh, just be a little patient, Sokka."</p><p>"My stomach doesn't know patience." he retorted, making her narrow her eyes at him.</p><p>"Would you like me to teach your stomach a lesson?" she warned him, her tone cold, suggesting she might punch him in the guts.</p><p>"Uh..." he mumbled, clearly afraid his sister might hit up, "I'll just shut up."</p><p>Aang grinned at them, finding their argument to be almost relieving; he was back with people he knew he could trust, and hopefully, some way closer to getting to the North Pole and away from all the dangerous Fire Nation soldiers, Princesses and assassins.</p><p>"I missed you guys." he told them, the two Water Tribe siblings softening their expressions; their argument faded from their minds, and they both smiled at him.</p><p>"We missed you too." Katara assured him, her brother gesturing over toward Momo.</p><p>"And Momo did too. He kept sleeping on me instead of you." he noted, the flying-lemur piquing his head up from the saddle, "You haven't been eating our food, have you?"</p><p>"Momo would never steal. We just share." he suggested, the Water Tribe teen narrowing his eyes at him.</p><p>"I'm still annoyed over the seal blubber." he noted, reminding the Avatar that he had accidentally used his blubber for their fire a few weeks back.</p><p>"The fire did smell good, though." Katara spoke up, making Aang raise his hands.</p><p>"I promise I won't burn your food for fuel again, Sokka. That's an Avatar's promise." he assured him, the Water Tribesman narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"You know, I'm inclined to not believe in a promise made by a twelve-year old."</p><p>"Look at him, Sokka, he's as pure as fresh snow. He literally wouldn't hurt a fly."</p><p>"But he would burn seal blubber. Seals are animals and Aang's a vegetarian." he argued, crossing his arms, "You're a pretty bad vegetarian."</p><p>"I didn't hurt the seal." he retorted, before his eyes widened, realising the implications of such 'seal blubber' existing, "Wait, do you kill seals? But they're so cute!"</p><p>"They're tasty." he simply responded, Aang cringing, finding it utterly disturbing that anyone could kill such a friendly looking animal; Katara looked at her brother, aghast and offended for the Air Nomad's sake.</p><p>"Sokka, you're going to make him cry!"</p><hr/><p>Being awoken by the ground shaking beneath him was clearly a bad sign in Iroh's eyes; it wasn't shaking so much that he thought it might have been the assassin coming after him, as it felt more distant, like a very subtle earthquake. He thought perhaps some earthbenders were training nearby, though that didn't make much sense, given that he was hiding in the woods, as far away from any people as he could get himself. He thought that if it was earthbenders, he could find himself in a less than desirable situation with people who might love to make him their hostage; he wouldn't blame them for doing so, but he would have to respond with an equal amount of force.</p><p>Rising up from the ground, he wondered where the shaking was coming from; the woods around him were rather thick, and would easily disguise anybody approaching him. He moved to stand behind a tree, hoping that it would cover him from any potential pursuers. He wouldn't be that surprised if the assassins had caught up with him, but he knew that the locals in the village might have tied them up after he left; to his luck, none of them had tried to attack him, probably too surprised by his appearance in their village.</p><p>He knew that despite their failures, the assassins were still trying to find him; he didn't know how much Ozai was going to pay them, but he was sure it was a sizable sum, as they had failed to relent in their pursuit. He hoped that his men were alright, and had reached the nearby port safely; he knew that there was a possibility they had been caught up with things, and he just hoped they didn't know what was going on. If even one person knew about Ozai's actions, then Zuko's life would be in grave danger, and his demise was precisely what he desired to avoid; he would never forgive himself if his own carelessness got his nephew killed.</p><p>He took a deep breath, and readied some flames in his palms, knowing what he might have to do; he could feel more shaking, and it was growing more intense; he glanced up toward the canopy, and noted that there was a smokestack in the distance, which made him tense up. Perhaps they were already waiting nearby, and the insanely powerful assassin was coming for him; the smokestack could be from a campsite, but he wasn't too sure. He decided he wasn't going to find out, and began to pace on through the woods in the opposite direction of the smokestack. As he paced through the woods, he was forced to weave around bushes and the numerous tree trunks that were in his path, but he was practically running, or at least, as fast as he could move.</p><p>He had only just awoken, and he was rather hungry- even if he had stolen money off of the assassins he beat, he knew that money was little good until he reached the next village. His only luck was that he had remained by a stream which gave him a source of fresh water as he continued eastward into the hills. Omashu was still far away, and he was sure he would live through many more days and nights of a grumbling stomach. He glanced back, and realised that the shaking was growing more intense, and he could even hear a rumbling noise; it was to his right, suggesting that it was on the road that he had decided to not walk upon, specifically to avoid any travellers and keep the assassins off his trail</p><p>His eyes widened as he realised the sound and shaking was moving past his right side, to ahead of him, "Wh-what... what is this?" he mumbled to himself, confused by what was going on; he darted to his left, moving up the hill-slope, hoping that he could lose his pursuers by getting away from the road.</p><p>He raced as fast as he could up the slope, and realised how draining it was to climb up the hill; he knew he had to do it, as every moment he spent not moving was an opportunity for the assassins to get closer. He had no idea what they were utilising; perhaps some kind of war-machine, given to them by his brother; it made a lot of sense, given that his brother had personally overseen military technology developments with War Minister Qin in his duties as Prince, and that was even before Fire Lord Azulon had passed.</p><p>To think the greatest strengths of his nation were being used against him was disturbing, but he knew it ought to be expected; his brother wanted to use those strengths against the rest of the world in his insane dreams of domination and control. Those thoughts were pushed from his mind as, rather quickly, his heavy breathing became more pressing; he felt like he was going to collapse if he kept running, and decided to cover behind a tree for a few moments while he caught his breath. He pulled the flask of water that Sung had given to him; he'd filled it just before he went to sleep, and in that moment, he flicked it open and let the cool liquid fall down into his mouth. He gasped out, realising how dehydrated he had been, which was probably half the reason he felt so exhausted.</p><p>He tensed up at the sound of footsteps behind him, and though they weren't very close, he was sure that after all the running he had done, his shoes had made some noticeable tracks. He glanced back, and was unable to see anybody yet, and decided to continue moving up the hill, not running as fast as he had before, wanting to conserve his energy while he tried to reach the top of the hill. The shaking was no longer as intense as it had been, though a quick glance backwards showed that the smokestack was still nearby.</p><p>"There's tracks! He has to be here!" he heard a voice shout out, and Iroh began to move faster. They were looking for him, and if he wasn't fast enough, he'd get caught; he was hungry and had little energy to spare- if it came down to a fight, he didn't know if he could win, despite his firebending skills.</p><p>He ran up the slope, and noticed that he had to be near the top of the hill; he smiled, realising that he might be able to run faster, and outrun whoever was coming after him. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a mongoose lizard ran in front of him; glancing up, he noticed its rider was not one of the assassins, but an Imperial Firebender.</p><p>"Your majesty, please, stop running." he raised a hand up at him, the Fire Lord's eyes widening with shock; he didn't think that his men would come after him, though he had no idea where they got a mongoose lizard from.</p><p>"I- uh, thought you were coming to kill me." he admitted, glancing back behind him to see a few more Imperial Firebenders, who were not mounted, and clearly a little exhausted after chasing after him.</p><p>"Thank the spirits he's alright." one of them spoke up, panting audibly as he placed his hands on his hips, "I thought she was going to beat us up if we didn't find him."</p><p>"She?" Iroh's eyes widened, before turning around, seeing another mongoose lizard approach; he could see his niece, who he hadn't seen for over three months.</p><p>She was wearing her royal armour, but surprisingly, her hair was dishevelled, and she had heavy bags under her eyes, not to mention she looked annoyed enough that she could set the forest around them on fire.</p><p>"You stupid old man." she snarled at him, pulling the reins of her mongoose lizard to stop it, "Why did you keep running?!" she raised her hands up, "I go out of my way to save your life and you repay me by forcing me to drive off into the depths of the Earth Kingdom in the middle of the night." she chided him, her anger understandable; it made sense now- she obviously had heard about his shipwreck, and had come after him, and had not stopped until she found him, which just had.</p><p>"I- uh, I apologise, my niece. I thought you were them." he admitted, "They nearly killed me, twice."</p><p>"I got that." she rolled her eyes, "That damn assassin nearly killed me, and the stupid Avatar too." she added, making his eyes widen; perhaps she had already succeeded on her task.</p><p>"Did you capture him?"</p><p>"No, he got away... after I let him out of his room, because I thought I was about to meet you, when in fact, you'd run off into the middle of nowhere." she added, her anger not having faded one bit, "He was that afraid Father might kill him that he ran off like the coward he is."</p><p>"I- uh..." he mumbled, before his eyes darted down; his actions had inadvertently led to the Avatar's escape, which was not going to help either of them- he certainly needed to meet him, as he'd be a great ally for both the Order of the White Lotus, and perhaps, against his brother, "Azula, did he send you a letter?"</p><p>"Who?" she narrowed her eyes, "Father? What letter are you talking about?" she asked him, the Fire Lord sighing.</p><p>"There's no point lying about it." he dejectedly acknowledged; as much as he didn't want to involve his niece in the conflict between him and Ozai, he knew he had little choice in the matter- she was going to protect him, and he had to respect her for the independent and capable young woman she was, "I lost the letter, but... I received a letter from Lady Mai, just before my ship was sunk."</p><p>"Mai?" Azula's expression became clearly more confused, "What does Mai have to do with any of this?"</p><p>"She told me that Ozai had hired those assassins to sink my ship and kill me." he told her the fact of the matter, making her eyes widen; she glanced toward her guards, and looked at them with a clearly nervous face.</p><p>"You will not mention a word my uncle utters to another soul, you hear me?" she asked them, the Imperial Firebenders nodding.</p><p>"Yes, your highness." they all bowed toward her, assuring her that they would not reveal what Iroh had just told her to the wider world.</p><p>"That's absurd, Uncle." she argued, "Why would Father send assassins after you? That makes no sense. If he wanted to be the Fire Lord, why wouldn't he just challenge you to an Agni Kai."</p><p>"Because he'd lose." he told her something he knew to be certain; Ozai did not know the full extent of his brother's abilities, but he was no idiot- fighting Iroh would be a death sentence.</p><p>She clenched her fists, before pointing toward him, "This can't be true!" she snarled at him, "You're trying to turn me against him." she accused him, "I trust my father." she told him, though she sounded like she barely believed her own words; she was in denial, and he understood why- she looked up to her father, and he was taking that image and throwing it in the gutter.</p><p>"No, my niece, I am not." he assured her, "I didn't want you to find me. I just wanted to get as far away from those assassins as I could." he stressed, "Please, believe me. I would not lie to you, my niece."</p><p>"You wouldn't lie to me, huh?" she raised a brow at him, "Were you going to let Zuko succeed you? Were you?" she demanded of him, the FIre Lord raising his hands up.</p><p>"I hadn't decided who would be my heir if your father betrayed me." he admitted honestly, "I wish for you both to rule, together. I only want what is best for you, Azula."</p><p>"How is this best for me?" she raised her arms up in the air, "Telling me my father's a traitor. That he wants to kill you. You're giving me every reason to get on my royal barge and challenge him to an Agni Kai- actually scratch that, I'll make you challenge him to an Agni Kai." she explained what she might do, before pointing at him accusingly, "You're going to start a war."</p><p>"No, he is." Iroh stressed, "He wants to be the Fire Lord, that's his choice, but I won't let him, Azula." he stressed, before narrowing his eyes at her, "That's why we've got to go to Omashu."</p><p>"Why would you want to go there? What does it have to do with anything?" she asked, her voice nearly pained; she obviously wanted to sleep, and he felt even more guilty that he had inadvertently forced her to chase him down.</p><p>"There's going to be a meeting between myself and members of a secret society there. We were intending to draw up plans for peace in the Earth Kingdom." he explained, glancing over toward her guards, "We need to head there at once. It is imperative."</p><p>"Of course, your majesty." the guards accepted his command, the Princess clenching her fists.</p><p>"Now you're taking command of my guards. Thanks, Uncle." she sarcastically quipped in return, "Any other insane things you want to tell me before I pass out?"</p><p>"I still need you to get the Avatar." he admitted, making her roll her eyes, raising her right hand to her cheek; she looked more than ready to start a forest fire.</p><p>"Let me guess, so he can beat Father, right?" she asked, and though she sounded sarcastic in asking it, he was pretty sure she understood the reasonable nature of such a suggestion, given Ozai's strength as a firebender.</p><p>"In the worst case scenario, yes." he admitted bluntly, knowing that possibility was something he had to consider.</p><p>His niece leaned her head back, and made an exasperated sigh; she obviously hadn't been having a good few days, and after presumably believing him to be dead, he didn't blame her for her mental state.</p><p>"I hate my family."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Suffering Will Be Your Teacher</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Ty Lee was sure Mai would like to hug her goodbye, even if she didn't act like it; there were a few things they discussed after she climbed through her window, like how Zuko tended to do just that, more often than not, to avoid having to deal with Ukano, who supposedly would give his daughter strife over her courting with the young Prince. The thought of a secret romance made the acrobat giddy, though she tried her best to contain her excitement.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, the circus?" Mai raised a brow at her, the closest thing she'd get from her friend to a look of surprise, though her tone suggested she was sarcastic in such an expression, "I thought you'd get around to going there sooner."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I'm only fourteen, Mai." she admitted the obvious; she was young and naive, though less so when she was younger, and still held the same aspiration to go join the circus, "But I feel like I know enough about the world now. And I'm looking forward to learning much more."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How terrible commoner's food is?" her friend asked, making Ty Lee cringe, realising she hadn't considered her future living conditions as a factor; her parents weren't the wealthiest nobles, but she never had to eat anything subpar or meagre- she and her sisters were well cared for, even if their parents' attention was in short supply.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Urgh." she mumbled, looking down, dejected that she mightn't enjoy that aspect of her journey, "That's... that's just part of the package, I guess."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mai raised her hand up to her chin, crossing one leg over another as she glanced over to the window, "How'd Azula react?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She seemed like she didn't want me to go." she admitted, "But she was supportive enough."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Calling Azula supportive is a bit of a stretch." her friend retorted, making Ty Lee scrunch her lips up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula was supportive in her own Azula way... telling me that she was a better acrobat, but I'm still a great one."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course she did." Mai monotonously acknowledged, shaking her head; the Princess would never waste an opportunity to brag about her skill.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A few moments of silence fell between them, and Ty Lee leaned in a little closer to her friend, knowing there was something she wanted to know,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How are you going, Mai? Has Zuko been around?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yesterday." she nonchalantly acknowledged, as if there was nothing odd about it; whether it was some kind of amusingly drawn out courtship, or just the Prince looking for a friend, it did seem a little weird that he was always so secretive about it, at least from what she'd heard from Mai and Azula- she didn't speak enough with Zuko to ask for his side of the story.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And what'd you do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Talked." she shrugged her shoulders, the acrobat scrunching her lips up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Just talked? About what?" she pressed her question, Mai rolling her eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is it really that important that you know?" she asked Ty Lee, who pouted, disappointed that her friend wasn't telling her about her talks with Zuko; she thought at the very least she could give her some advice on how to flirt with the Prince instead of being stoic and distant all the time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I just want to know."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"His father." she simply responded, making the acrobat tense up; she didn't have to snoop around that much to know the Prince had a rather unhealthy relationship with his father- Azula would joke about how much Prince Ozai chided his son, and the very fact it was a joke to her meant it had to happen a lot, "He's angry about... well, a few things. His firebending regimes, especially."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula upstaging him a little?" the acrobat asked, cringed in her face, realising that every success her friend made when it came to firebending was a defeat for her brother, especially given how competitive their relationship was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not a little. Completely." she retorted, "Shooting lightning bolts isn't exactly something he can compare to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Barely anyone can generate lightning anyway." Ty Lee argued, "That's a stupid thing to compare."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, perhaps Prince Ozai isn't that smart." she dared to suggest, the acrobat raising her chin up; she wouldn't think that the father of Azula, who was probably the smartest person she knew, could be stupid.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe he's just mean." she gave an alternative argument, cringing at the thought of what the two royal siblings had to deal with in comparison to herself, "I certainly prefer oblivious parents over mean ones."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mai raised her chin up, "So, where are you going to go, specifically? I'm assuming there's more than one circus in the world for you to run away to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There's one in the Fire Nation colonies I've heard of. I'll go there, because I know my parents won't be able to find me there."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her friend raised a brow, "What, are they going to send a bounty hunter after you?" she asked, the acrobat shrugging her shoulders.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wrote a letter and put it under my pillow to tell them what I'm doing so they don't do that. If they do, I'll beat up the bounty hunters and send their sorry butts back to the Fire Nation." she raised up a fist to stress her intention, "I'm going to go to the circus, and nobody's going to stop me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You say that now, Ty Lee." she crossed her arms, "Don't you say talking about something is a way to get bad luck?" she asked her, making the acrobat cringe, realising that she did prescribe to that very view; it was better to let good things happen rather than suggest they might, and then have the opposite occur.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah..." she raised a hand to her chin, "Now I'm fated to get my dream stuffed up." she grumbled, before rising up to her feet, placing her hands on her hips, "But I'll enjoy it while I have it. That's what counts, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mai shrugged her shoulders, and the acrobat giggled, knowing that she wasn't going to have an enthusiastic reaction no matter what she said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nothing really counts, Ty Lee. That's kind of the whole point. You can go to the circus, and nobody is going to stop you." she nonchalantly explained, before glancing over toward the window, "So, are you going, or what?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I want to know what you're going to do if I'm not here." she admitted, just wanting to have some things to imagine Mai doing while she was away; she didn't assume she'd send many letters to her, and if she did, they'd probably have a bit of an issue with making sure the letters were sent to the right place.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't know, do schoolwork." she shrugged her shoulders, before narrowing her eyes at Ty Lee, "You're not going to have to do any of that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Jealous?" she smugly asked her, the stoic girl straightening her lips.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not jealous. I just know you'll be free of all that stupid work. Good for you." she noted, not seeming too fussed; her words told her that she was happy for her, and that made the acrobat grin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm happy about that too." she assured her, before smirking, "But, I know you'll have something else on your plate."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, you can imagine all the things I won't be doing with Zuko." she quipped in return, "Your imagination is a little too strong when it comes to what we do together."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I mean, come on. You're both teenagers. You like each other. Things happen." she suggested, Mai rolling her eyes, glancing over to her desk once more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The closest thing we've gotten to a date is him showing me the tunnels under the city. And that was creepy, not romantic." she argued, the acrobat raising a finger up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe you'll go on some amazing adventure with him." she suggested, the stoic girl almost scoffing at her idea.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, and you'll achieve enlightenment somewhere between jumping around and gawking at boys." she retorted, the acrobat scrunching her lips up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You never know. There's things to see out there. I might come back a whole lot wiser."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, it's better you get wise out there than in a classroom. I want to slam my head into my desk every time my teachers mention some stupid poetry techniques, or some obscure Fire Nation history that nobody in their right mind should care about."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe you should run away too." Ty Lee suggested, her friend looking at her blankly for a few moments, perhaps actually considering the idea, before she shook her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"To where? I have no where I want to go."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's a lie. You must want to go somewhere."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Somewhere I can live and not have to worry about my parents expectations." she argued, before sighing, "Hopefully, that world might be a little closer once they put all their attention on Tom-Tom."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your problems are the opposite of mine." she noted, making Mai purse her lips upward.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Want to swap lives?" she jokingly suggested, the acrobat raising a hand up to refuse; she was set in her intentions, and the idea of just living without having to vie with her sisters for her parents' attention sounded rather boring, "No, yours isn't interesting enough for me... ask me again when you and Zuko go do something crazy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If Zuko does something crazy, it'll be fighting Azula in an Agni Kai... and I'm sure I don't want to be around to experience that." she admitted, making the acrobat blink a few times; she seemed like, despite her stoicism, to be rather supportive of Zuko, so it made little sense that she'd not want to be there, even if it would be terrible for the siblings to fight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Really? I thought you'd want to support Zuko."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If he got into an Agni Kai with Azula, he would've lost his mind. There's no way he'd win. I'm not going to cheer on an idiot."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You don't cheer on anybody, Mai." she observed, her friend leaning back in her chair, raising both hands up to emphasise the point Ty Lee had raised.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Exactly."</em>
</p><hr/><p>"My daughter, I hope you enjoy yourself."</p><p>Mai raised a brow, slightly confused by her father's words; she didn't want to outright question him, but she didn't have much of a choice when he said something that seemed so unusual. He was just going out for lunch with her mother, so she was confused as to why he'd think she'd be enjoying herself. She'd already told him about the work she had to do for school, which she was getting ahead on so she could go spend some time with Zuko, knowing that convincing him to send a letter to Azula was imperative at that moment.</p><p>It was dominating her mind, so much so that she found it a struggle to keep a calm demeanour; the safety of not just her nation, but of her and Zuko personally, was on the line, and they needed to tread carefully if they were make it of the coming political bloodbath unscathed. Even though Iroh was not her uncle, because of how much Zuko spoke about him, she knew what he meant to the Prince; his fears and clearly justified anger were getting the better of him, and she knew that the best path forward would be one where they could rely on Azula to help them, as she was out of the capital and probably far better equipped to help the Fire Lord, if he survived the assassins going after his head.</p><p>"Enjoy what, Father? My homework?"</p><p>He chuckled at that suggestion, "No, no, not that. Your trip with Prince Zuko. A royal vacation to Ember Island." he clarified, making her straighten her face; she had a few ideas where he could get an idea like that- he was involved with government affairs, and she knew he talked from time to time with Zuko's father, Prince Ozai, "Wait, oh no." her father's eyes widened, obviously realising she had no idea what he was talking about, "The Prince hasn't told you yet, hasn't he?"</p><p>"This is the first time I've heard about it." she admitted, before scrunching her lips up, "Maybe Zuko was going to tell me later."</p><p>"I apologise, Mai." he made a grimace, bowing his head down slightly, "I didn't mean to ruin the surprise."</p><p>"It's fine, Father." she told him with a straight face; keeping a stoic expression was hard when she could only wonder what the ulterior motive behind such a holiday could be.</p><p>She immediately was drawn towards thinking it was the worst case scenario, that being a cover for them fleeing from Ozai; she knew that was a serious possibility, but Zuko hadn't explained anything to her yet, other than that he was growing more concerned about his father's intentions to try and openly claim the throne. She was sure it was a possibility, but there was nothing she could do about it personally; revealing the Prince's complicity in his brother's assassination, successful or otherwise, would be a quick way to find herself in prison, or perhaps even worse.</p><p>"Well, I hope you enjoy your time with the Prince. You need to get out more often, Mai." he suggested, and she nodded, not having any other response in mind.</p><p>"I will, Father." she gave the generic response she always would whenever he told her to do something, "Enjoy your lunch with Mum." she added, knowing that the two of them needed a break; her father had a lot of work in his government job, and her mother was constantly dealing with Tom-Tom, not to mention they were both spending most nights tending to her little brother, who was a restless sleeper.</p><p>He nodded, and turned his heels to walk back toward the foyer of their house, "Michi, I'm ready to go." he called out to his wife, who responded a few moments later.</p><p>"Come on then, we'll be late for our reservation." she called back, and Ukano hastily strode down the hallway, waving back to his daughter to farewell her; she raised her hand up, and gave a short wave as a courtesy, before turning her heels.</p><p>She let her straight face falter as she considered what she'd just learned; a holiday with Zuko to Ember Island was unexpected, but she knew there could only be some underlying motivation behind it. She didn't know what the motivation was yet, but she was sure she would find out sooner or later. She knew that Zuko might show up later that day, but he had his own work to deal with. Tutorials and firebending training were something he had to deal with every day, and he spoke of them as a frustration, though clearly distracting him from the pressing danger they both faced.</p><p>She knew that for the meantime, before he arrived, she could distract herself with the homework she had; she considered whether she ought to write the letter she knew she would have to send to Azula without the Prince's permission or not, but decided that was a way to needlessly aggravate him. Zuko would see reason eventually, and she knew that when he did, they could write to Azula, and get her on side. She would have to support them if she knew what her father wanted to do, and what he had already done; if there was one kind of dedication she could trust with her friend, it was that to her uncle.</p><p>She sighed, knowing that she couldn't be certain that her dedication to her uncle would extend so far as to betray her own father; Mai decided that even if she couldn't know what was going on in the Princess's head, she could at least try and reach out to her, and tell her what had happened. She strode back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, before approaching her desk, sitting down on the chair, glancing over the work she had been doing earlier. She was honestly disinterested in it, knowing that her thoughts about the potential conflict she could create from the very message she intended to send.</p><p>Azula obviously cared about her uncle, even if she didn't discuss it openly, just like how she seemed to care about Zuko, despite his antagonistic behaviour; she didn't want the conflict that had arisen between them. It was a natural result of the clearly terrible parenting of Prince Ozai, whose actions were still undermining Zuko, even if he didn't see it himself; Mai wouldn't go as far to say she despised him, but she was a frustrating thorn in her side. She wanted to be there for both of the royal siblings, knowing that they needed the support; they were both alone, and she felt bad for Azula, knowing she was stuck on her ship friendless, hunting down the Avatar, while she was stuck with her tutors.</p><p>Her train of thought was broken by the odd sound of what sounded like a roof tile being hit by something hard; she glanced over to her windowsill, and was unable to see anything, though she heard the south of light thumping on the roof above her, before a pebble fell down right in front of her window, continuing to roll on down the roof. Her eyes darted over to the fence of her house which lay ahead of her, and she saw a very familiar mask perched on a darkly clothed man. Zuko had already arrived, it seemed, and he was dressed in a way that certainly suggested he was going to something serious.</p><p>She realised that perhaps he wanted her help, and not thinking she had much of a choice in the matter, given the dire situation they were already facing with Ozai, she stepped over to her bed, knowing she ought to disguise herself too. She pulled the mattress up, taking out her own theatre mask, and quickly tying it up around the back of her head; turning her head a few times, she made sure it was secured in place, before she grasped at her wrists, making sure her stiletto launchers were in place. She had them and her knives on her person, knowing that they might be of use at any time. She wasn't paranoid, but knew that preparing for potential fights was important. Zuko standing outside of her house suggested things weren't going very well.</p><p>Pulling her window open, she looked back over to Zuko, who tilted his head toward a nearby alley between two houses, which led off to a small garden they had been to a few times before. He began to pace on toward the alleyway, obviously wanting to get some place they could inconspicuously chat, though she was a little confused why he didn't just come up to the window. She stepped on out of the window, and glanced off down the street, noting that her mother and father were already riding away in a carriage, off to head to their dinner; she immediately jumped down off of the roof, and into the front yard, walking amongst the flowers, bushes and trimmed hedges before she approached the brick fence that lined the front of the property.</p><p>She reached forward and jumped up, grasping the top of the wall before she jumped over it, landing in the street. Mai noted that it was rather vacant at that time of the evening, after most people had finished their work, but before they would go out for dinner, if that was what they were doing; she walked over to the alleyway where she saw Zuko walk off to, and wondered exactly what he might have to tell her. She turned around the corner, and noted that the Prince was standing idly by the garden down the alley, sitting on a short brick fence, leaning against a pot plant with bright flowers in it. She approached him, and saw that his posture was surprisingly relaxed, and she could only think why; Zuko was a rather paranoid and anxious person, and tended to get pent up about minor things, not to mention the life-threatening issues they were currently facing.</p><p>"Why are you here, Zuko? Did you learn something new from your father?" she asked him, the Prince glancing her way, remaining silent; now looking at the Dark Water Spirit mask, she could only feel a little uneasy, and she noted the sound of footsteps behind her.</p><p>Glancing back, she saw three men dressed in dark clothes with their faces covered, each of them wielding dao swords, just like Zuko did; her eyes widened, and she immediately raised her right arm up, shooting her stilettos right at the men who were approaching her. They struck the extremities of the men, who were able to weave out of the way of her attack and avoid getting their chests pierced. She glanced back toward Zuko, who drew out his own swords, and Mai grit her teeth; it couldn't be Zuko standing before her, even if he was wearing the same mask. Ozai had already got to her, and she had a feeling that the 'holiday' had something to do with the men surrounding her.</p><p>"Great." she sarcastically snarled, knowing that she had a serious fight on her hands; there could be more of them for all she knew, and the very fact they knew exactly how to draw her out was something that made her feel like there was more to the attack than Ozai simply wanting her dead.</p><p>She drew her sai out of her robes, before using it to block the dao swords of the man imitating Zuko, before she fired her stilettos, stabbing his feet through the leather boots he was wearing; he cried out with pain, and the distinctive sound of his voice assured her it really wasn't the Prince. She then kicked him in the crotch, hoping to keep him down while she dealt with the other attackers. She weaved out of the way of one of the attackers, who swung his dao down at her; she then tossed a knife with her right hand, stabbing his arm, and forcing him to drop his blade. She was forced to duck under a fireball that one of the assassins sent out; they weren't just non-benders, it seemed, and that made it a marginally more challenging fight.</p><p>"Go for the head!" she heard one of the assassins call out to another, and she immediately tossed two knives his way, slashing his upper arms, which made him wince in pain; she ducked under another fireball, before using her sai to block a dao, barely holding it away from her face, which was luckily covered by the mask.</p><p>She glanced back, and noticed that the fake Zuko was moving to attack her with his dao again, and she weaved out of the way of his swinging, before she used her stilettos like claws, stabbing them into his shoulder; she didn't want to hurt him that bad, knowing that she could interrogate him once the fighting was over. She was forced to dodge another fireball sent her way, and decided to throw the fake Zuko in front of it, the fireball splashing over his chest and making him stumble back, barely able to stand after she had stabbed his feet.</p><p>"Hit her!" she heard one of the assassins demand of their comrades, obviously growing worried that they were up to the task of beating her.</p><p>A dao swung for her throat, and she raised her right leg up to kick, before firing the stilettos attached to her ankle, shooting them right into her attacker's right shoulder ensuring he would drop his blade. She then grappled him by the shoulder, threatening him with her sai to his throat; though she could stab him in the throat, and end the threat he posed at that instance, she couldn't stomach killing anyone, not when she could clearly see out her own victory. She instead used him as a shield, though two of the assassins attacked at once; their fire streams were powerful enough that the assassin was forced back, landing on top of her as she was pushed to the ground.</p><p>She grunted from his weight, but quickly was able to roll away, missing a dao sword which was swung down at her head. Raising her sai up, she blocked another sword, which aimed to cut her head clean off, before she raised her left leg up, sending stilettos right into his gut. He stumbled back and wretched in pain, the wooden projectiles obviously piercing his abdomen. She then drew out two knives in her right hand before throwing them right at the last assassin standing, whose chest was stabbed by the knives; he must have been wearing some padding, as he cried out in pain, rather than writhing violently as she expected him to suffocate on his own blood.</p><p>She didn't need to kill him, and approached him with a straight, serious face, not letting out any kind of fear in her eyes; she then hammered his head into the ground with a kick to the forehead, and that knocked him out cold. She glanced around at the others, who were still curled up in pain, though the fake Zuko seemed to think he could kill her; she assured him that wasn't the case by throwing another knife at him, stabbing his right hand before he could retrieve one of his dao.</p><p>"I don't have any time to chat, so you're going to tell me why you came pretending to be Zuko." she spoke her intentions as plainly as she could; she wasn't Auzla, and she wouldn't goad, mock and intimidate her opponents- she would get the information she needed, with the necessary force applied to retrieve it.</p><p>He scrambled back in fear, and she drew out a knife on each hand, "Running would be a bad idea. I stabbed your feet." she warned him, and he stopped moving.</p><p>"Y-you're too late." he simply told her, Mai narrowing her eyes at him; she didn't understand what she was late for.</p><p>"Late for what?"</p><p>"To save him." he retorted, "They'll come for you next." he warned her, Mai raising her chin up.</p><p>"So Zuko's alive." she noted, "Then these must just be replicas." she noted his blades and mask, which she assumed could be replicated easily enough, given that one was a mask from a common theatre show, and the other were swords regularly used by thieves and criminals throughout the Fire Nation, easily purchased on the black market, "Where is he?" she asked, hoping that she'd get a straight answer, even if she doubted that's what he would give.</p><p>"On his way." he simply told her, "You should run... if you don't want to die." he warned her, the stoic girl shaking her head, she drew the mask off of her face, untying it so she could look the assassin in the eye.</p><p>"I'm going to need some specifics." she admitted, before drawing her sai up toward his mask, ready to do what she had to, "What fingers do you need the most?" she asked, the assassin turning his head up, silently looking at her, seemingly unsure how to respond to such a question.</p><p>"My-" he began, before she grasped him by the back of the head, and slammed his mask down into the ground, audibly cracking it.</p><p>"You're going to tell me where he is, or I'm going to cut off every one of your fingers."</p><hr/><p>Prince Zuko did not know why his father had left the palace, but he was sure it had something to do with his uncle, and his planned seizure of power in the Fire Nation; obviously, as long as Iroh was still alive, he would not be the Fire Lord by law, and any seizure of the throne would be unlawful. It made sense that he would want his backers to openly support him if he did that, so the Prince guessed his carriage was going to the hideout located out in the Caldera City. He had gone as fast as he could to the hideout, and waited there for the carriage, and surely enough, it showed up, his father stepping out as he always did, walking over toward the hidden entrance, only activated by firebending.</p><p>When he had arrived, he hadn't seen anybody else walking in, which interested him; it was possible that his father was only meeting with a select few individuals to carry out his messages, presumably to prepare for whatever move he might make against his brother publicly. Sitting on the rooftop, he watched as his father, covered by a long, flowing red cloak which obscured his royal robes, made his way to the entrance, raising his hand up and activating the mechanism to open the door. The Prince waited for him to step inside, before he eyed the windows across from him; he waited for the carriage to leave, so he could be sure none of his father's guards saw him, before he jumped across the alleyway, landing on the windowsill.</p><p>Without a second thought, he pulled the window open, and slowly drew it up, before he slipped inside. He couldn't hear any voices yet, but he was sure that something would be happening soon enough. He walked through the room he found himself in, pushing the door slightly ajar so he could glance around the hallways. He couldn't see anybody around the building, though that didn't surprise him; if anybody was inside, they were likely down in the atrium waiting for his father, as he had seen them do so previous times.</p><p>He made his way slowly down the hallway, making sure the floor didn't creak, and slowly, but surely, he made his way toward the atrium, where he could still hear nothing, he glanced down into the room below, and noted that his father was sitting at the table, silently with his hands in his lap, like he was waiting for someone. Zuko's eyes widened, wondering if he was waiting for him; it was possible that he already knew, given that he was pretty sure Ozai knew that Zuko had been in communication with Iroh, or at least was assuming he had been.</p><p>He stepped back, and suddenly, the floor creaked; he grit his teeth, and saw his father's gaze turn up toward him; the thing was, he realised that it wasn't his father sitting at the table, but a body-double. He looked quite similar, which was rather eerie for someone like himself, who knew his father's face and expressions well; he played the part effectively, but the Prince knew when he wasn't looking at his father. Knowing that, he decided that he ought to interrogate the body-double, given they might actually know where his father was, and why he had been sent there. He leapt down through the atrium, landing on the ground in front of the body double, who raised his hands up, ready to firebend at him.</p><p>"Assassin, prepare to face my wrath!" he snarled at him, the Prince rolling his eyes; he really was playing his father, which was less intimidating and more amusing.</p><p>Zuko used his swords to guide the flames he bent at him, and the body double's jaw dropped as he understood his flames were completely ineffective; the Prince was no great firebender, but he was above the average one, which meant some random body double was no match for him.</p><p>"Where's the actual Prince?" he snarled at him, his eyes widening as he realised he'd been caught out.</p><p>"Wait... how do you know- who are you?" he asked him, the Prince sighing, before he moved his swords closer to the body double, darkening his voice to add a bit of emphasis.</p><p>"Where is Prince Ozai?" he reiterated his statement, "Are you one of his goons?" he asked, the body double leaning back, his eyes filled with fear.</p><p>"I'm just a body double. I came here because the Prince requested it of me." he explained, Zuko gritting his teeth, wanting a more detailed answer than that.</p><p>"Where?!" he almost shouted, "In the carriage? In the palace? I need some specifics!" he demanded, his dark acting voice a struggle to pull off; he knew that if he used his real voice, it was likely he might figure out his identity, given that it was possible the body double had been around the palace regularly, even if he didn't realise it at the time.</p><p>"In the palace." he raised his hands up, "You won't be able to kill him, there's no chance." he argued, making Zuko scoff.</p><p>"I know that." he rolled his eyes, before pressing his dao against his chest, "Why did he send you here?"</p><p>His eyes widened, and he shrugged his shoulders, suggesting he really had no idea; Zuko was considering to just walk away from the situation, but he was surprised when the man thrust his hands forward, creating two fireballs which pushed the Prince back slightly; he then reflexively swung his swords forward, slashing through his robes, which made the body double cry out in pain.</p><p>"Why?" he demanded once more, snarling with a growing anger; that anger covered his unease, realising that his father might have known that he intended to follow the carriage to the hideout.</p><p>He grasped at his chest, and the Prince immediately noted the blood on his hands; the cut might have been a little deeper than he intended, "Probably to capture you." he deduced, which furthered Zuko's suspicions.</p><p>He immediately glanced around the room, confused to see there was nobody there; if they wanted to attack him, they would do so before he could escape. He scoffed, thinking they were stupid for giving him a chance, and he immediately moved to exit the building, striding his way down the hallway, the Prince narrowing his eyes as he noted an odd smell. He didn't recognise it, but it was pungent, and he immediately assumed he was in danger;  the Prince turned around to face the body double, who was still writhing in pain from his injury.</p><p>"What's going on here?" he demanded of him, not getting a response, only noting that he could hear a crackling noise, a bit like the sound of lightning being generated, eerily enough.</p><p>Reflexively he turned around to face the door, knowing somebody could be coming for him at any moment; he was sure that, whether it was his father or not, he would have to fight his way out. Suddenly, he heard the sound of an explosion, which immediately flung him forward, throwing his body into the doorway, his back being licked by flames, before his head was slammed into the door, barely covered by his raised arms. His ears rung out, and he felt a hot, numbing sensation on his back; he was sure it was the pain from his robes being set alight, but all his senses were in a mess, his vision blurred and his smell and taste useless, only sensing the overwhelming smell of fire around him.</p><p>He couldn't speak, his throat parched as he struggled to breath; he assumed that had something to do with the pain he felt in his gut. Looking down, he noted that the hilts of his dao were slammed into his abdomen, and though he couldn't see them, he was sure there were bruises there. The burning sensation on his back, however, was the strongest of all, and he rolled himself over, hoping that would stop any flames that had formed on his clothes. It only tightened the contact, and made the pain all the more sharper.</p><p>He cried out in pain, his breathing pained as he tried to recover from his self-inflicted winding; Zuko was struggling enough with the smell and heavy smoke and dust in the air. He forced his eyes shut to try and stop the pain there, and it helped a little. He reached forward, knowing that if he could open the door, he might have a chance of getting away; he struggled to reach up, finding his strength all but depleted after being smacked hard into the door. Suddenly, the door opened up, and he opened his eyes, and saw what looked like some kind of thief.</p><p>"He's still alive!" he heard them call out, rather distinctive to the ringing that had been dominating his hearing since the explosion went off.</p><p>He realised that it wasn't a thief, but in fact, one of the people sent to kill him, and upon that realisation, his eyes widened; his own father wanted him dead, and now, he had to fight for his life. He knew that with his injuries, it was only a matter of time before they killed him, so he snarled, and rolled backwards, kicking his feet out to create two fire streams, which struck the assassin square in the chest. If he was going to die, he was going to die with a shred of dignity. He groaned from hitting his back on the ground, and reached around for his dao, which he had already dropped. He grasped the hilt of one of them, using it to quickly block the blade the assassin wielded, before he pulled himself up, unsure if he could try and get away. </p><p>"Kill him!" he heard another voice shout out, and Zuko grit his teeth, rising up to his feet, his legs aching from having hit the door, along with the rest of his body.</p><p>He tried to ignore the pain, but that was hard to do in and of itself, so he struggled to keep up any semblance of form against his opponents; the dao blocked another sword swing, and the Prince stepped back when the blade came swinging for his throat. He couldn't win, he knew that, but he stumbled back anyway, just hoping that he might be able to get away; getting away was the goal, and even if it made him feel like a coward, he knew it was the only option, other than dying. He remembered how his uncle had been after Lu Ten's death, and decided then and there that if he himself was still alive, he could not die; his uncle of all people didn't deserve that, not after all the kindness he had given him.</p><p>He jumped out of the way of another sword swing, swinging his blade around and using it to slash the side of his opponent; that was the best he could do until he was forced to leap through an open doorway to dodge a fire stream that was sent his way. He did not have the energy to disperse their firebending, so he could only just try and avoid it. The room he was in was in shambles due to the explosion, but there were some chairs and a low table which he thought might provide some cover if he reoriented them; he didn't have much time, and spent it stumbling forward and shoving a chair over, providing a small bit of cover when the next firebending attack came his way. He cowered behind the chair, which was set alight, before readying his sword.</p><p>He snarled, and spoke the only thing that came to mind, "Kill me already." he mocked his opponent, who came at him again.</p><p>He swung his sword hard and fast, but the Prince held his hands steady, before abusing a small opening to jab the enemy in the shoulder; he grunted with pain, before swinging his sword down hard on Zuko's dao, which was flung out of his hand. His eyes widened, unsure what to do, so he clenched his fists and threw them up, flames moving from the burning chair, making an explosive bonfire out of the wood, which set the assassin's clothes alight. He screamed in fear, and the Prince threw his fist forward, covered in flames, and hammered him in the jaw, throwing him down onto the ground.</p><p>Another person stepped through the doorway, and kicked a leg up, creating a fire stream which was sent right into Zuko, who slashed his arms across, bending the flames away from himself, down into the floor beside him, the carpet on which was set alight. He then ducked down, dodging the next attack, a fireball from their right hand; they then sent a fireball from their left, but Zuko blocked it with his sword, which he picked up just in time; the heat on his sword from all the dispersed fire was making it uncomfortably hot to touch, and he snarled, not knowing what to do with it. It was a weapon designed to kill, and he didn't know if he could stomach doing that; he knew he didn't have much of a choice, and even if his knees were feeling like they might buckle and that he might pass out, he could not give up, not yet.</p><p>"You want to go?" he asked the assassin, charging toward them with his blade in hand, ready to use it as intended; the assassin had their own blade in hand, and raised it to block Zuko's sword swing, before slashing his own sword up, nearly slicing his mask in half.</p><p>The Prince was only momentarily disoriented, at least relatively, given the ringing in his ears and the squeamish feeling in his gut that was already distracting him; he slammed his sword down once more on the enemy's, but failed to disarm them, growling with frustration as he was forced back, parrying the assassin's next blow. They filled their left hand with flames, and looked poised to set his mask alight, so instead, he swung his sword toward that, the blood splatter from lopping off a few fingers a good distraction to allow Zuko to step back, avoiding getting his chest cut open by the enemy's sword.</p><p>"You little shit!" the assassin shouted at him, furiously swinging his blade about, before Zuko was able to disarm him when he accidentally got his sword stuck in the burnt out remains of a chair.</p><p>That was not the last of the assassin's efforts, as he raised both hands up, despite the bleeding on his left side, and conjured two fire streams, less impressive than the ones he himself could generate, but still a serious threat, he could barely hold the attack off with his sword, and noticed the metal heating up. He grit his teeth and swung the blade as hard as he could through the flames, cutting something, though due to his poor eyesight and the flames, he couldn't tell what. The enemy screamed and reflexively kicked him the guts, making the Prince stumble back, winded once more and barely able to hold onto his sword.</p><p>He saw the assassin stumble back, and another came into the room, seemingly ready to take his place; he was surprised to notice that he looked rather panicked, and was already injured, though he had no idea how. A moment later, his question was answered as he fell down to the ground, Zuko noting a few stilettos stabbed into his back, and by the doorway, stood Mai, wearing her own mask.</p><p>"Zuko." she addressed him, her tone surprisingly concerned, stepping closer with her sai pointed toward him, "You're the real Zuko, right?" she asked him, sounding rather cynical and suspicious, which confused him; his confusion was nothing compared to the aches he felt across his body, and the Prince groaned with pain as he slumped down, leaning up against the wall.</p><p>"What do I look like, roast komodo rhino? I sure feel like it." he retorted, before grasping his mask, and tearing it from his face, revealing himself to Mai, just to assure her he was 'the real Zuko'.</p><p>"Zuko." she spoke his name once more, sounding even more concerned, though her posture remained poised as she approached, "We need to get out of here. Your father wants us dead." she warned him of something he already knew, grasping him by the shoulder.</p><p>He blinked a few times, remembering how powerful the explosion was, and realising that might be a very good excuse to cover his survival; hiding from his father was the only option he had- the option they had, assuming Ozai knew about her complicity with the Prince's actions.</p><p>"Well, I guess I can pretend I'm dead now."</p><p>"Where's the nearest catacomb entrance?" she asked him, the Prince squinting, trying to think while his body was telling him to slump over and pass out.</p><p>"Down the street. At the end of the alleyway." he explained, Mai nodding before she grasped the underside of his legs, picking Zuko up, which surprised him; he didn't think she was going to be strong enough to lift his whole body weight, "W-wow... you're actually strong."</p><p>"Don't ask me to do this again." she snappily responded, before carrying him through the doorway, after which her tone softened, perhaps sympathising a little with his pain, "How much does it hurt?" she asked, the Prince gritting his teeth.</p><p>"Enough." he simply responded, "Why does this... why me..." he mumbled, letting his head slump back on her arm, "I can't..." he gasped out, not knowing what to do; everything hurt so much, and he had no idea where they could go, or how they could escape.</p><p>The most reassuring thing was the little snicker she made as she took him out of the doorway, the Prince eyeing the numerous beaten assassins, who were all unconscious, or worse, bleeding all over the floor from the cuts they had received. She had saved his life, and as long as she was strong as she seemed, he thought he mightn't die just yet.</p><p>"Thank you." he whispered softly, unsure what else to say; he was alive, and that was what counted; she glanced down toward him, and he was sure her expression was just as stoic as her mask was.</p><p>"Don't worry, Zuko. You're not dead... not yet."</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Recovery</h2></a>
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  <em>The Dragon of the West was not a man to shy away from a fight when it faced him, but what lay before him was not the kind of fight he was used to; nine whole months had passed since the fall of Ba Sing Se and the death of his beloved son, and now, he faced the greatest challenge yet. Any other man in the Fire Nation would fear most two people, their father, and their Fire Lord; despite those two categories coinciding for Iroh, they did not correlate with his fear. He feared only one man, and that was his own brother; he felt a tinge of sympathy when it came to the conflict between his niece and nephew, knowing how much it mirrored the fight between Ozai and himself.</em>
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  <em>He was the firstborn son, a lauded and respected general who fought for his country and perhaps the closest thing to his life for it- his legacy, and yet, his brother stood tall, spoke proudly, as if he were already Crown Prince, as if the throne was just waiting for him. That was before Lu Ten had died, and now, as he stared his younger brother down, he could only imagine the worst of his reaction to his nephew's death; he was disturbed by the very idea that he might have been happy about it, and that made an anger rise in his gut. The wiser half of Iroh quashed that rage and pushed it back deep down, knowing that it was not the time or place for anger; that emotion was of no use to him, not anymore.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Brother." he heard Ozai address him, his tone neither cold nor confident, simply ambivalent to his presence in the war chamber; the Fire Lord had yet to arrive, and they were to be sitting in on the meeting, as was expected of his heirs, and thus, they were left there, looking at each other, as if that might reveal the other's intentions.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ozai." he addressed him by his first name, wondering how many people actually did so.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knew for a fact none of the servants would dare to address him by anything less that 'your highness', lest they light his short fuse; for a man who saw himself a future Fire Lord, he had the temperament of a young, boisterous man, despite the fact he was well and truly an adult, with two adolescent children of his own to chide for such behaviour he himself presented from time to time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This must be your first time back here, since you left for Ba Sing Se." the younger brother acknowledged, turning his gaze around towards the unlit wall of flames that surrounded the throne, which was coloured a dark golden hue by the lack of light; it seemed a whole lot less impressive without the Fire Lord's silhouette, in his opinion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It is." he acknowledged, stepping a few strides ahead to stand beside his brother, "Father was very adamant on me being here. Warfare is my specialty, after all."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That explains your timeliness." he observed, before raising his chin up, his piercing glare meeting his elder brother's own eyes, "You wouldn't want to disappoint Father, would you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Those words hurt, and he knew they were intended to; he swallowed his pride, knowing that whatever Fire Lord Azulon thought of his grandson's death at the hands of the enemy, it would not change Iroh's guilt and shame. He was a disappointment for himself, and he was angry at his own blind ignorance toward the suffering he had caused. It was only when that pain had been inflicted on him so directly that his eyes were opened truly, and he understood what his vision had meant; he had taken Ba Sing Se, and he had found his destiny. His destiny was not to be a conqueror, it seemed, but, perhaps, at the very least, to be a better Fire Lord; Lu Ten's death was not just tragic, but a reminder of the tragedy that was the Fire Nation. His grandfather Sozin's great vision for the world had corrupted the very people that had set out to achieve it, and he was among their rank; even if Ozai had not set foot on the battlefield, he was enthralled to that vision of the world all the same.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father expects me to walk these halls as his successor and heir, and for the honour of our family, I will." he explained himself in a way that didn't sound in any way suggestive of his actual intentions for the Fire Nation once he was the Fire Lord.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn't want to discuss those things with Ozai, knowing all too well that he would oppose them, and call him a traitor to their people; he considered that perhaps Zuko and Azula would feel the same as their father, given how blinded they were themselves by the lies the Fire Nation had told itself for over a century.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Does the throne not sit well with you, Brother?" his brother prodded him once more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sit well?" he asked him, trying to sound surprised at his question, "I believe it is a great honour... the greatest honour I can do for my nation." he assured him, telling his brother the same line his own father had told him from when he was a young boy about the responsibilities that awaited him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knew Ozai was trying to ask him whether he actually wanted to be Fire Lord, and part of him hated the idea, of the responsibility he would bear, and the lives that might be lost in his name, but another part of him knew that it was necessary; somebody had to lead the charge and fix the world, and if it would not be the Avatar, then he knew he might have to take the responsibility up for himself. One day, his niece and nephew would succeed him, and he could only hope by the time they did, they would be wise enough to hold the throne and serve their nation as he wished his beloved Lu Ten should have.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I intend to serve our nation well, Brother, as you have." Ozai simply told him, his rare compliment more an observation on his achievements rather than any indication of respect he held for him; if anything, it told Iroh that his brother sought to supersede his achievements, which was very Ozai-like of him- that was a trait both he and Zuko held in common, and was one that worried him at times.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Earth Kingdom is ours." the elder Prince stated the fact of the matter, "I am sure you will be able to see the great benefits that our new peace will bring, and serve our nation by furthering it." he admitted, hoping that his brother might see the benefits of the peace they had worked so hard to achieve; of course, the people of the Earth Kingdom would disagree with it, and that was something Iroh knew he was going to have to address once he became Fire Lord.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he agreed with him, "I will further our peace." he smirked, "A great peace. One that will last for a thousand years." he acknowledged, "Four nations will become one, and Fire Lord Sozin's dream will be completed. I can only hope to see it become reality." he explained his thoughts, although he knew that his brother didn't simply hope for that one nation, he sought to make it an indisputable reality.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As soon as he got a sniff of Iroh's plans, he would most likely decide to take matters into his own hands, or perhaps, he would do so without knowing of his intent; upstaging his brother with a plan of domination and crushing of the opponents to their power would be the most reasonable choice of action, and he didn't want to imagine what might result from that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Suddenly, he heard the sound of the doors of the throne room opening up behind him, and both he and Ozai turned around to see their father, flanked by his Imperial Firebenders, walking down the hallway; he raised his hands up, and suddenly, the wall of flames shot up and set alight. Both sons bowed down toward their father as he approached them, not looking him in the eye, as was expected.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Iroh, Ozai." he addressed them both, "I see that you were both punctual. Is there anything you'd like to discuss with me before I let the rabble in?" he asked them, the two Princes shaking their head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, Father." they both replied, and with that, he walked past them both, and approached the throne; he moved his hands, parting the fire that sat between the stairs and the seat itself, and he strode across, before sitting himself down on the throne.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A few moments later, he raised his hand up, "Let them in. I don't have all day to listen to their pompous words." he ordered his guards, who at the other end of the throne room, opened the doors up, allowing the officers who had been waiting outside to stride on in.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Both he and his father could agree that the war meetings tended to be a lot of pomp and bragging with not much productive discussion, and he guessed that would be even more prevalent now that the war was practically won, with Ba Sing Se firmly under their grasp and the rest of the Earth Kingdom quickly falling into line.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh and Ozai then moved to sit down at the table, sitting at the end closest to their father, across from each other; the younger Prince eyed his brother intently, before he looked up toward the men who came into the room. The Dragon of the West noted in the corner of his eye that some of the men were looking towards his brother specifically, and then quietly chatting among themselves, far too far away for him to get any idea what they were talking about. All in all, it wasn't a very good sign; Ozai was not a general, and Iroh never expected him to be one, but the fact he seemed to know and have the interest of those kinds of men suggested that he was already making moves around the court.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Fire Lord sat on his throne, but the real power did not lie there, not when his years were numbered and his day-to-day involvement in the government was evaporating with his growing infirmity. Iroh was not there to see what had happened over the past two and a half years, but he was sure that Ozai had spent his time well ingratiating himself among those he ought to know; he had his own connections, both from the army, and from other places, which he was willing to use, if the situation demanded it. He knew that the tinder under the bonfire were already alight, and it was only a matter of time before it became an unstoppable inferno.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Princess Azula didn't want to admit how much she was hurting, both physically and emotionally. The fight against the assassins had taken a serious toll on her, and though the ship's physician had done a good job, it would be a number of days before she returned to her full strength, with her bruises and cuts still raw, even if they were being well tended to. That physical pain was exacerbated by the knowledge she held; she cursed her prior wishes of wanting to be all-knowing, to use the power of information as her weapon to forge her destiny, as it had only led her, accidentally, to learn things she wished she never had. Her own father was set on killing her uncle, and she struggled to believe it. However, it was not because she didn't think Ozai to be incapable of kin-slaying; to the contrary, she thought he was the only person she knew capable of such a disgraceful act.</p><p>She struggled to believe that he'd be so stupid to try and do it to begin with; her father wanted to be the Fire Lord, that was certain, but he was going about it in a way that could only harm their nation, and tear their family apart, of what little remained. Lu Ten was dead, her grandfather was dead, and she was feeling as if her brother might be next; she did not desire to see Zuko go the way of her cousin, especially at the hands of her very own father, but it seemed more than likely, given what her uncle had told her. Mai and Zuko were the ones to warn him, and thus, they were the ones meddling about in his plans; her father was not one to tolerate impediments, and he held no great respect for his son.</p><p>She did not know how to address the matter with her uncle, knowing that he was the only one capable and willing to provide guidance; she did not want to trust his advice, only knowing of the terrible things she might have to do herself. Betraying her father was something she couldn't stomach, not when she lacked the certainty to call him a traitor. He was still her father, and his guidance and tutelage was not something she would ignore. As she sat on the side of her bed, she could only wonder what she ought to say to Iroh. She could interrogate him for every little spare bit of information he held, with the hope of using that to better judge the terrible situation she'd found herself in; that would give her at the very least some kind of certainty as to his own intentions, which, though clearer than they had been ever since he returned home from Ba Sing Se, were still vague.</p><p>"They can't both be traitors." she mumbled to herself, knowing that the truth had to be that one of them was in the wrong; she wanted to believe that both of them were right, but she knew that it was impossible.</p><p>Her hands were covering her face, and she was glad nobody was watching her; they couldn't see her in her vulnerable state, where she would look like what she really was. A fourteen year old girl, way in over her head; she wanted to call herself a master of strategy, wit and conceit, but that would be a gross exaggeration. She was just a girl, no matter how much she spun it, and she couldn't act like she was the one with all the answers. Her uncle clearly had some of them, and she knew she had to speak to him about those answers, no matter how much they might disgust or scare her.</p><p>She stood up from her bedside, wondering how long she had slept for; it had to be the late afternoon, but nobody had come in to give her her lunch yet. Perhaps they were waiting for her permission, which would be understandable; she had been furious when she returned to the tank-train after finding her uncle, so the few servants that had tagged along in the vehicle would be most likely unwilling to face her ire.</p><p>She sighed, and grasped her hair, deciding to tie it back up, knowing that she couldn't go out and face Iroh looking like she belonged in a prison cell. Once it was tied in place, with her headpiece back where it ought to be, instead of sitting down on the table beside her, she stood up, eyeing the doorway nearby; the room on the tank-train was a fair bit smaller than hers on the ship, though she wasn't going to complain. She required the mobility the vehicle provided, and she was willing to sacrifice some floor space and extra servants for that.</p><p>She strode over toward the door, unlocked it, and then pulled it open; in front of her, she could see the small lounge area that she had, in which, as expected, her uncle sat. He was wearing some new, clean robes, and his hair had been cleaned up as well; he looked a lot more like a monarch, even if he wasn't wearing his headpiece. She didn't know for sure where it had gone, and she guessed that it might have sunk with his ship.</p><p>"My niece." he turned to face her with a smile, "Did you rest well?"</p><p>"No." she bluntly admitted, not wanting to lie about it; she felt like shit, and partly it was his fault, so she was going to rub it in when necessary.</p><p>"Well then, would you like a fresh cup of tea. I'm sure it will improve your mood." he suggested, gesturing to the teapot he already had ready, which from the look of the steam emanating out from it, seemed to be ready.</p><p>"I doubt that." she retorted, before stepping closer, "But I don't have much of a choice if I want to talk to you, do I?" she asked him, the Fire Lord looking at her, his warm expression turning to one of guilt.</p><p>"I'm... I apologise, Azula. I didn't mean to cause you grief. I only want to make sure you are safe." he stressed, the Princess rolling her eyes as she sat down across from him.</p><p>"I'm a lot less safe knowing what you told me." she addressed her concerns, before taking a deep breath, "But that can't be undone, can it?"</p><p>"No, it cannot." he answered her rhetorical question, his timid look telling her that he understood where he went wrong; if he hadn't told her, and had kept the truth at bay, then maybe, she would be in a better mood, but lying about it wouldn't have changed the fact of what happened, "I know this is hard for you. It is always hard to look at the things you thought you knew, and accepting the truth for what it is."</p><p>She narrowed her eyes at him, before picking up a turned over cup, and placing it upright, suggesting for him to pour some tea into it, "The truth? I don't think this is about what is true, Uncle."</p><p>His expression shifted to one of surprise, before he picked up his teapot and poured some of the steaming hot liquid into the cup, "So, you accept what I told you?" he asked her, the Princess raising her chin up.</p><p>"I accept that it's the most reasonable explanation for what's happened, no matter how much I wish it wasn't." she admitted, before looking down at the teacup, "I don't know if you're right, however, Uncle."</p><p>"Right?" he narrowed his eyes, "Do you think I should let Ozai become the Fire Lord?"</p><p>"No, I think you should consider what you want to do as Fire Lord. If you're going to betray our country after all you've done for it, perhaps you shouldn't be leading it." she warned him, knowing after what he had suggested that he might intend to do things, in ending the war and creating a new age of peace, that would certainly not be approved by his fellow countrymen, nor Azula herself.</p><p>"I will not betray the Fire Nation. I simply want to set it on the right course."</p><p>"The right course?" she narrowed her eyes at him, "So, is the right course one where we destroy ourselves?"</p><p>"We will not." he assured her, his expression becoming more serious, "My niece, we are trying to avoid that outcome specifically. I could declare your father a traitor and ask for the military to seize him and whatever cronies are backing him, but I know that will not end well." he admitted, "I know that many respect me, but that does not mean that they will agree to follow such an order."</p><p>"Well, at least you're thinking in advance." she conceded, picking up the teacup, "i haven't thought much further than drinking this cup of tea."</p><p>"I thought you had a plan, Azula."</p><p>"Oh, Uncle, I did. It's just that you burned it down like the Earth King's Palace." she warned him, reminding him that her plans were thrown into disarray by his revelations, and his own intentions; they were going to Omashu, and the chase after Aang was a distant memory, even if she knew that she would have to return to that endeavour, sooner or later.</p><p>"I..." he mumbled, before sighing, "There is no choice. I have to go to Omashu. If we do not, then I won't be able to find a way to stop your father."</p><p>"You're the Fire Lord. You have the command of the largest military the world has ever seen." she stated the fact of the matter, "Why do you need a 'secret society' to help you?"</p><p>"Because your father's assassins, and whoever else is supporting him, will work against me." he warned her, placing his hands together, "I can trust these allies to gather the resources I need to stop Ozai and his plans. If we're lucky, they can contact your brother, and he can help us stop Ozai before he does anything too drastic."</p><p>She sipped from her cup, before sighing, knowing that her brother, no matter how useful his sneaking around might have been, given it had allowed her and Iroh to see the extent of her father's plotting, was not in a position to try and outmaneuver Ozai.</p><p>"Zuko's not going to be able to do much." she argued in return, "Nobody knows him, and he doesn't have the same respect Father does. Even if he tried to sway people to our side, do you think they'd follow him over Ozai?"</p><p>"We'll just have to wait and see, Azula." he admitted, before she took another sip from her tea cup.</p><p>She turned her eyes away, deciding that she ought to address something else rather than dwelling on her father's actions, or Zuko's potential ones, "How far away is Omashu from here?"</p><p>"In this contraption... perhaps a few days. I've never travelled in one myself, so I can't say for sure." he admitted, the Princess nodding.</p><p>"Well, it better keep at pace. We stocked up with a lot of coal back at the port, so we should have enough fuel to get us to the closest Fire Nation base to the city." she explained, before narrowing her eyes, "So, are you going to publicly appear before your loyal soldiers, or are you going to pretend you don't exist?" she asked him, making her uncle's expression shift; he was more or less happy before those words, and after them, he seemed to look a whole lot more uneasy and conflicted.</p><p>"I know that it is cowardly of me to hide... but if anybody knows I'm in Omashu, then they'll-"</p><p>"They already know you're going to Omashu, Uncle. If Father hired these people... then they'll know your whole schedule, even if they don't know about those people you're going to meet." she explained her thoughts on the matter, knowing that her uncle's argument was flawed; they were already in serious danger, and the only advantage they held was the great speed at which they could move away from her uncle's would-be assassins.</p><p>"At the very least, we might be able to afford some extra security for our passage in and out of the city. I know that you might trust... your friends, but I cannot trust the Earth Kingdom soldiers defending that city. They are just as much a threat to your life as the men Father had go after you." she decided, the Fire Lord nodding.</p><p>"I cannot argue against that, my niece." he admitted, "Though, if we were to-"</p><p>"Disguises?" she preempted his suggestion, "That would work, but I will not stoop so low to disgrace my title as Princess."</p><p>"I thought you liked deceit and trickery." he made a small pout, as if that would persuade her to his plan.</p><p>"I do." she conceded his point, before placing her hands firmly on the table between them, "Who exactly was expecting you? The King?"</p><p>"I sent a letter to him. He's in the secret society." he clarified, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"Hmph, so that's why you haven't conquered the city yet." she deduced, her uncle shaking his head.</p><p>"I didn't want to waste the resources on such a campaign when I knew I ought to be focusing on bringing peace to the Four Nations."</p><p>"Three." she corrected him, before smirking, "Three and Aang."</p><p>"That's not funny, my niece. The destruction of the Air Nomads was a travesty."</p><p>"Oh, I'm well aware of the nature of our assault on the Air Temples, Uncle." she assured him, "We're just lucky that the boy who might have otherwise wanted to destroy our nation didn't witness it."</p><p>"If he had, he would've died." Iroh retorted, his tone serious and concerned, despite the fact he didn't know Aang; she didn't really know him that well herself, but at the very least, she had had a few conversations with the boy.</p><p>"Well, he's not dead, and he's not... spiteful toward our nation. At least not as much as I'd expect him to be." she admitted, narrowing her eyes, "If I was in his situation, I'd hate the Fire Nation with every fibre of my body."</p><p>"The Air Nomads were never hateful people, Azula. Some might have been unkind and callous, but I'd never expect them to be hateful." he acknowledged, the Princess taking his words as a learned observation; something told her that he knew a lot more about the Air Nomads than she did, despite all the reading and on-the-ground research she had done while searching for the Avatar.</p><p>"That's a good thing. We can utilise his... fear, instead."</p><p>"We do not need to use fear, Azula." he raised a hand, "This Aang, he mustn't be very jaded, given his age. He might be better inclined to use his hope for peace; he mustn't understand or like the world he's found himself in after a hundred years away."</p><p>"Frozen in an iceberg." she sighed, finding the concept to be absurd, but seeing that she didn't have any evidence to the contrary, she took it as fact, given he was still twelve years old, despite having disappeared at the time of Sozin's Comet.</p><p>"It is unusual. But the Avatar as a person is unusual. Able to bend four elements, convene with their past lives and the spirits. They are the bridge between worlds and the guardian of the balance that was upended a hundred years ago." he acknowledged, before turning his eyes away, "Or maybe... maybe balance was lost long before that."</p><p>"The world has never been perfect, Uncle." she suggested, before narrowing her eyes, "Well, at least, the history books at school didn't paint a very nice picture of what the world was once like."</p><p>"It hasn't been, you're right, Azula." he smiled at her, "But that doesn't mean we cannot aspire for a better world." he suggested, the Princess sipping from her teacup once more.</p><p>She didn't know what a better world would look like; a few months prior, she might have just said the march of prosperity and greatness that had begun under the reign of her great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin was that better world, but as she sat there, considering her father a traitor and the Avatar a potential friend in what could become a war over the right to be Fire Lord, she knew that world wasn't the one she was looking for. She didn't know what would replace that century-old dream, that had set out a great and bright future for their nation; the world was theirs, yet, it didn't seem like much had improved.</p><p>They had more colonies, and they had a stronger economy, but it was built off of the war machine, continuously building new and better weapons, ships and contraptions to use against their enemies. That was not the recipe for a strong nation, if her tutors' few words on economics had had any merit. That didn't even consider the world that they lived in, where the Four Nations had become one, but the Fire Nation continued to put its new subjects down; she wasn't one to advocate for the rights of the lesser peoples, but she knew that if they were to become one united world, the only way that could be achieved was through integration.</p><p>"What is better, Uncle?" she asked him, wanting to know his opinion on the matter, "What is the future you want for our nation?" she added, specifying what she actually wanted to know; the Fire Lord looked at her with a bittersweet, pained smile.</p><p>"A future where young, hopeful people, like Lu Ten, wouldn't die an early death." he told her rather simply before raising his chin up, tears falling down his cheeks, "A future where our nation no longer begets suffering upon the world, and upon innocents, who have done nothing but simply stand in our way. Where the prosperity and peace that my ancestor said he desired can truly be achieved. That's the future I want, my niece." he explained, before sighing, "I just wish I could have said that sooner." he admitted, his lips pursing upward as his eyes met her own, "Thank you for coming to get me. I don't know... what I would have done by myself out there."</p><p>"Starve and suffer in a way that no Fire Lord ought to." she gave him her best guess on that matter.</p><p>"Perhaps the people of the Earth Kingdom might argue otherwise." he grimaced, making her wonder what people thought of him; he had conquered Ba Sing Se, after all, even if he was an affable and clearly kindhearted individual.</p><p>"They'd be wrong to do that." she suggested, turning her eyes downward, thinking back to what she had first thought when she got that letter from the Fire Navy base, "Those... weak, despicable men won't have a chance to hurt you again, Uncle." she assured her, before rising up to her feet, "I need to speak with the helmsman. We must go as quickly as we can to Omashu."</p><p>"That we do, my niece." he nodded, before he scrunched up his lips, leaning forward slightly on the table to show his interest, "And what do you intend to do about the Avatar?"</p><p>She narrowed her eyes, and wondered what Aang might be doing at that very moment; she assumed he and his Water Tribe friends would be trying to get as far away from her as possible. Of course, she knew how to find him, given she knew where he would be headed.</p><p>"Get to him before he gets to the North Pole." she clarified, the Fire Lord nodding.</p><p>'Well, actually, I have a contact there that might be able to help with that issue." he explained, making her eyes widen; she didn't know how he was so well-connected, given the fact he had been a General fighting the other nations- she didn't expect him to be making friends on the other side, though she assumed the secret society had something to with that.</p><p>"How many people do you know, Uncle?" she asked him, concerned by the depth and breath of the secret society he belonged to, which he hadn't even told her the name of; all she knew was that many people across the world were associated with it, and thus, they'd have a wide grasp- as far and wide as the Fire Nation Capital as well as the North Pole.</p><p>"A few. I just happen to know a few important ones." he clarified, before pursing his lips upward, "Trust me, my niece. Friendship is more powerful than you might suspect."</p><p>"If friendship is so powerful then how come Mai sent a letter to you, but not me?" she questioned him, knowing that her friend clearly had the means to contact her and warn her about her father, and yet, she had received no such message.</p><p>"Mai?" he asked her, before he scrunched his lips up, seeming unsure how to answer her question; he mightn't know the answer for sure, but he could certainly come to conclusions, as she had. It definitely had something to do with a certain person who disdained her very existence, "Zuko can be... unhelpful at times. I see that." he conceded, the Princess sighing.</p><p>She knew that without the tension between them, the situation they were in might have been resolved quicker and with a real goal set in mind. That would have been better than her brother and friend sending her uncle a letter which must have barely prevented his death at the hands of the mind-explosion assassin, whom she had yet to find a name for; 'the dangerous one' was all that her mind could come to at that moment. She raised her teacup up once more, and wondered whether her brother would really be able to help them; he might have sent a letter, but that was nothing next to going against their father openly.</p><p>"Let's just hope he's more helpful when it comes to the matter of preventing a civil war."</p><hr/><p>The dark passageways and cool, humming wind that blew through the catacombs made Mai nervous, though not as nervous as the threat that awaited her and Zuko outside; she didn't know how long they had been sitting there for, while the Prince lay sleeping, having passed out from the pain of his injuries, but she knew it couldn't have been much longer than a few hours. The catacombs were almost pitch black around her, and the nearest entrance only dimly emanated light, presumably from the streetlights nearby. She only had a lantern to light up their little space in the catacombs, which she had bought from a store after she and Zuko got away from the assassins who had nearly taken his life.</p><p>Taking her mask off, she was able to just play off being her usual self, and she was lucky enough to snag some coins off of the assassins, which she used to pay for the lantern as well as some burn ointment, bandages, a small amount of rice crackers and a tunic, which the Prince wore instead of his burned robes. That was all the coins could afford her, and the time she could spare to spend away from her injured friend, who was slumped over in an alleyway at the time to not attract any attention from pedestrians.</p><p>Zuko's injuries, luckily, seemed to only be on the surface, barring the bruises that he had supposedly self-inflicted with the hilt of his dao. His burns looked bad, but after she had applied the burn ointment, that had stopped the growling and groaning he made every time he moved his arms and legs around. In the rush of things, she had forgotten to get his swords, but he didn't complain; he obviously couldn't fight while he was hurting so bad, barely able to walk.</p><p>She felt angry at herself for not getting to him sooner; she didn't know exactly where the 'hideout' the Prince had spoken of was, and the assassin she interrogated didn't help by giving her a specific locale. She did hear the explosion that rocked the structure, however, and was able to get there before the assassins had the chance to kill him. She knew, however, that she could not fail now that she was protecting him; Zuko was trying to do the right thing, to try and help his uncle, and his country, and he had nearly lost his life in the process.</p><p>She placed her hand down on his chest, which was covered by the tunic, and felt his heartbeat; the very fact it wasn't going wild was reassuring, telling her that at the very least, he could rest in relative peace. She wondered how he was feeling at that moment- perhaps ashamed or angry at himself, for falling for the trap that had nearly cost him his life; he was tricked, just as she was, and it was only the fact that they'd used such an extreme method to try and kill him that he didn't beat all the assassins. She knew he was capable of it, but she wouldn't get to see him kick some arse, given his state.</p><p>"Mai." he mumbled her name, reminding her that he wasn't necessarily asleep, making her feel self-conscious about her hand on his chest, which she retracted at once.</p><p>"Do you need more ointment?" she asked him, sure that he might be hurting again; it wasn't going to fix his injuries, but rather, help him tolerate them while they slowly healed.</p><p>"N-no." he raised a hand up, before making a cringed expression, the motion obviously hurting him; that didn't stop him from reaching up to grasp her hand, which she had retracted away, "How long have I been lying here for?"</p><p>"I don't know. A few hours, since it's dark outside." she told him her best guess, making his eyes widen.</p><p>"We can't..." he mumbled, before glancing up and down the passageway they were hiding in, "We can't stay here. My father knows about these. He'll send his people down here eventually." he explained, making her tense up.</p><p>"How long do we have?" she asked him, the Prince scrunching his lips up before he moved his hand to his face.</p><p>"Maybe a day. Not even." he admitted, "We need to get out as quickly as we can. Go to... I don't... I don't know where." he added, the uncertainty and pain in his voice telling her that he really was lost.</p><p>They had their lives swept from underneath them, and if they showed their faces in public again, Ozai's operatives would go after them, that was certain; Prince Zuko and Lady Mai were dead, and now two teenagers sat in a dark tunnel, with no homes to return to, and nothing to but the clothes on their backs, the weapons on their person, and the few things she could get from the store before they hid themselves.</p><p>"We have to get as far away from your father as we can, Zuko." she told him the straight fact, which was that they couldn't afford to stick around in the Fire Nation Capital; even if his father was a traitor and they could back it up with evidence, she knew that the only thing that would come of daring to confront him would be a long imprisonment, if not an untimely death.</p><p>"But where?" he made a cringed face, "I'm a Prince. I don't have anywhere to go- I don't even know where uncle is, or if he's alive."</p><p>"Somewhere in the Western Earth Kingdom." she bluntly told him the thing they both knew; he was being a little too pessimistic, though given the circumstances, she did not blame him, "You didn't forget that, did you?"</p><p>"No. The explosion hurt my body, not my mind." he assured her, before cringing in pain once more, "This is the worst."</p><p>"Worst would be you dead, Zuko." she corrected him, before turning her gaze down the passageway, "So, where are we going to go now. We can't stay here."</p><p>"The port." he simply told her, "That's the easiest way to get away from the capital, right?"</p><p>"If we can get aboard a ship. They won't accept you as a ship-hand in your current state." she acknowledged, "Not that I know anything about sailing, but I know that workers never are recruited when they can't do their job."</p><p>"U-uh... yeah." he nodded, "Maybe I- we can wait down there. It's a little safer than being here, and maybe we can find a... what are they called... smuggler?"</p><p>"Yes, a smuggler." she nodded, before rising up to her feet, "So, are you going to rest any longer or are we going to go?"</p><p>"It isn't that far." he admitted, making her raise a brow at him.</p><p>'Have you ever walked there?"</p><p>"No, but it's all downhill. That's better than climbing up to the caldera."</p><p>"Where do we need to go to avoid the army checkpoints?" she asked him, the Prince gesturing to their left.</p><p>"There's an exit by a stream that way. We'll have to walk around in some fields, but we can get back to the road quickly enough." he explained, to which she nodded, before offering him a hand.</p><p>"Are we going?"</p><p>"Give me a second." he raised his hand up to refuse her, if only for a moment while he shuffled around, reaching around to pick something up off of the ground, "Ah, I didn't drop this, good." he mumbled, making her raise a brow.</p><p>She glanced around, and noticed that he was holding a dagger in his hand; she had taken it off of his pant leg when she was tending to his burns, but she didn't know what the importance of it was. She had seen it on him before, so she assumed it was of value.</p><p>"What is that?" she asked him, the Prince raising a brow.</p><p>"A ceremonial dagger." he clarified, making him narrow his eyes, "Isn't that obvious?" he asked her, moving the weapon a little closer to her.</p><p>"No, I meant why do you have it." she clarified, the Prince narrowing his eyes at the blade.</p><p>"It's from Uncle." he explained, "He got it from a General he defeated at the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se."</p><p>"So, more important than your dao?" she asked him, the Prince chuckling.</p><p>"Well, he just bought those in Shu Jing for me." he admitted, before his eyes widened, "Actually... I think I know where we can go."</p><p>"Shu Jing?" she guessed, as he had just mentioned it.</p><p>"Well, I don't know, but Master Piandao is the kind of person I could trust to keep us hidden. At least until we can track down exactly where Uncle is." he explained, before making a small smile, "He's the one who taught me how to use my swords."</p><p>"A friend of your Uncle's?"</p><p>"Yes, he is." he nodded, before pulling himself up to his feet, groaning with pain; he made a small smile to assure her that he was capable of walking, "We should try to get to him, but I... uh, rather just find some nice empty alleyway to lie in tonight." he acknowledged, before taking a deep breath, "My legs... really hurt."</p><p>She picked up the lantern with her left hand, before she offered him her right, "Don't be stupid. Just let me help you." she demanded he accept, which he did, allowing her to pull her arm around his shoulder.</p><p>"Thank you, Mai." he turned to face her with a small smile.</p><p>"You can thank me when we get out of the capital alive." she retorted, narrowing her eyes at him, "Which we haven't."</p><p>"I don't think our luck's that bad." he suggested, making her sigh.</p><p>"No, Zuko, I think it is." she warned him, before raising her left hand, her sleeve falling back to reveal her stilettos, "But I'm ready to shoot bad luck in the jugular, if need be." she assured him, making him snicker, before making a pleased face, his mouth dropping slightly ajar; whatever pain he was dealing with, he could still take a joke- that told her the Zuko before her, despite having lost his livelihood and nearly his life, was still the same boy she knew all too well.</p><p>"Nice."</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Trickery And Useful Lies</h2></a>
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  <em>"Well, I'm sure you'll be a great Fire Lord then."</em>
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  <em>The smug look on his sister's face made Zuko want to punch her right in it; she was smaller than him, and his arms were longer- he could probably do it before she could conjure some flames to defend herself. Break her nose, and maybe she'd shut up for good; he decided against that, knowing that it would only make her respond with double the force and double the malice.</em>
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  <em>"Shut up." he demanded, before deciding to take matters into his own hands, and turned around, walking away from the situation before he escalated it any further; he wanted to hit her, to teach her a lesson, but he knew that it wouldn't change a thing- punching Azula would not bring back Lu Ten.</em>
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  <em>He was told that anger made him weak; he couldn't believe that at that very instance. It was impossible to not be angry; his cousin was dead, and he didn't deserve it. His father dismissed his death as if it were nothing, all while his grandfather bickered with him over the line of succession. There were no tears for his cousin, only empty words, and they made him furious. So Zuko stomped off, not daring to look back at his callous, mocking sister, and just left her be. He wasn't to blame for Lu Ten's death, and she at the very least, showed some sadness about the turn of events; at the very least, she cared about him, even if she only saw Zuko as an obstacle to be dismissed. As he strode down the halls of the palace, he repeated the same words in his head: 'I am not weak', as if they would make the declaration true.</em>
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  <em>He knew that wasn't the case; his weakness was what his father chided him for, and he knew he wouldn't do so if it didn't exist. He was angry, however, that he could consider the bond he held with his cousin weakness; Lu Ten was the closest thing he had to a best friend, even if he was a lot older than him, and he had missed him all those months, hoping each day to hear of his uncle's inevitable victory over the Earth Kingdom, so they'd return home. Now, Iroh would return, but he wouldn't be the same; he didn't know who could be, after the loss of their only child. He grit his teeth, now angry that he was so angry; his uncle was the one who was really suffering- the fruit of victory had turned to ash in his mouth, and now he had no son to love. Zuko clenched his fist, remembering his father's frustrated face; he didn't know if he would even mourn him if he had died like Lu Ten. He might even celebrate, because he got rid of the incapable heir.</em>
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  <em>Zuko grit his teeth, wishing he wasn't how he was; he wished he could just stomach the pain, but he couldn't; that was why he was trying to get to the training courtyard, striding with haste and his fists clenched. He stormed past servants and guards, all of whom noticed his mood, and stepped back, not wanting to get tangled up in it. That was wise of them, as he was about one more little tick from screaming out in fury. So Zuko moved as fast as he could, and quickly enough, he reached the open wide space of the courtyard, where the midday sun shone down, making it a lot brighter than the mostly dim and gloomy palace. He immediately moved to the change room, which was a small covered area with curtains where he could get out of his robes, which were just going to impede his training. Calling it training was a bit of a misnomer, given he had no intent of following his forms or perfecting them in the slightest; he needed to express his feelings, and the only way he could see how was through his flames.</em>
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  <em>The Prince immediately drew off his shoulder guards, which covered the top of his torso, and then took his outer robe off, leaving him with only the undergarments he'd wear underneath; they were suitable enough for what he was about to do, and so, without any hesitation, he moved out into the training courtyard, feeling the warmth of the sun on his exposed forearms and his face. Its power strengthened him, and with it, he was able to wield his element with as much power as he possibly could. Zuko took a single long and deep breath, before he thrust his right hand forward, creating a fire stream which was impressively large; he was less concerned about its awesome size and more with the growing desire he had to set everything in sight on fire.</em>
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  <em>He spun himself around, and began to shoot fireballs at the dummies that were set up against the wall; eerily enough, they were designed to imitate the royal guards who protected the Earth King himself, and he assumed such men were some of the last his cousin had faced. That only heightened his rage, and he continued to throw blast after blast at the dummies. The barrage of attacks knocked them back, quite forcefully at that; he was unable to hit them over with mere fireballs, and decided to step up with two fire whips, which he conjured and threw forward; they were larger and brighter than usual, and he wasn't surprised that when they made contact with the dummies they were immediately set alight. He spun himself around and sent out a kick, a fire stream moving out of his right foot into one of the dummies, throwing it to the ground, audibly snapping whatever stand it was being held on.</em>
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  <em>He grit his teeth and began to throw move punches toward the dummies, fireballs coursing from his fists, hammering them again and again, the creaking and cracking of the wooden stands audible as he moved closer. He then clenched his fists, letting the fire course out from under his palms in the shape of a dagger; each of them grew out from his hands into bright swords of fire, akin to the dao which he had learned to fight with from Master Piandao. He then swung his fists forward, slashing the flame swords right through one of the dummies; he had first thought the move had no effect, but the dummy then fell forward, the top half having detached from the bottom. It slammed on the ground in front of him, and he took a deep breath, before turning around once more.</em>
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  <em>Zuko's anger had not subsided in the slightest, so he decided to continue his attacks, even if they weren't against anyone or anything; he charged forward, letting out a shout as he charged a massing of flames behind his hands, which he threw forward, creating a wall of flames that flew out ahead of him, encroaching all the way to edge of the training yard. He did not stop there, spinning around as he massed more flames in his hands, quickly forming a spinning mass of fire around himself. He then threw the massing of flames forward, coiling them up into thinner fire streams which struck the other two dummies right over, snapping them off of their stands.</em>
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  <em>His chest heaved, and yet all he could think of doing was scream, to let all the air escape his lungs; he hated the feeling inside of him, but he couldn't excise it. It was just like his cousin said- despite the power he wielded, his anger was a weakness. It made his flames wild and unrelenting, which made them far more dangerous; perhaps, however, that was what he needed. If Prince Zuko was not to be a weakling, as his sister often mocked him to be, then he'd be dangerous, powerful and angry; he could use that anger, and channel it, as he knew he just had. He threw his arms out, and dispersed the flames that had surrounded him, snuffing them out to nothing, before he gasped out for air; he was not exhausted, but simply thirsty- he had forgotten to drink before he trained.</em>
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  <em>Suddenly, before he could go fulfil that rather basic desire, he heard clapping; the slow pace of it was rather eerie to the Prince, who wasn't used to getting praise from anyone other than his uncle, who was at that moment probably somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, far from the palace. He turned his gaze around to see his father, who was in his own training gear, and realised that he was clapping at him. The pursed lips on his father's face, along with bright, prideful eyes, were near alien for him to see, and a stark contrast to what he had seen earlier in the throne room.</em>
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  <em>"Prince Zuko." he addressed him, his tone almost sounding surprised; he couldn't think of the last time his father was openly surprised about anything, "That was a brilliant show of your firebending." he acknowledged, "Far better than those forms your tutors make you do." he added, reminding him of the last time he had tried to show his firebending skills to his grandfather, who was not impressed, and neither was his father.</em>
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  <em>He bowed toward his father, a simple sign of respect, knowing that he didn't want to earn his ire, given his approval of bending, "Thank you, Father."</em>
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  <em>"You have the raw strength, my son, you simply need to apply it." he stressed as he approached, before raising his chin, "Would you like to train with me, Prince Zuko?"</em>
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  <em>His eyes widened, realising what he father might be suggesting, "Did you want to spar?"</em>
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  <em>"Of course not, you're far younger and smaller than me. It wouldn't be fair." he stressed, before crossing his arms, "But I can see you could use some guidance. An untamed dragon isn't a very useful one, wouldn't you say?"</em>
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  <em>He wanted to smile at his father, but simply bowed once more, "Yes, you're right, Father." he agreed, before turning his gaze up, "I- uh, just need to get a drink of water."</em>
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  <em>"I see." he nodded, stroking his goatee, "Go. I need to do some breathing exercises to begin anyway.' he gestured over to the side of the courtyard, where the servants would usually serve to his father after his training.</em>
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  <em>He assumed that some water was waiting there, and upon closer inspection, striding on inside, he saw a jug, along with a few cups, all of them clean. He picked up the jug and poured out some water, and in the corner of his eye, he saw a servant, who was surprised to see him there.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, Prince Zuko. I didn't expect to see you here." he admitted, "Did you want me to pour that for you?" he asked, the Princes shaking his head.</em>
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  <em>'No, it's fine. I can pour my own water." he assured him, before taking a sip from the cup; he glanced over back toward his father, and saw him standing still with his arms together, presumably just doing a breathing exercise.</em>
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  <em>He was surprised that his father was so approving of his firebending, and then he remembered why it was so potent; Lu Ten was dead, and he had nothing else but anger to power his flames. He grit his teeth upon recalling the fact, and sighed, knowing that getting so angry was the only reason his father had approved of his abilities. Zuko didn't want to be consumed by rage, as much as he had been while training; he took another sip from the cup, finishing it off the water. He wanted his father's attention, respect and love, but he knew that his cousin was right; power did not come from anger, it came from an unyielding drive. He desired to be a worthy heir for his nation, the kind that he knew his cousin wanted to be; he knew he mightn't become a great firebender like his uncle and father, but he knew that he could, if he tried his best, and did what was right, become worthy of the throne that until that day, he had not even considered.</em>
</p><hr/><p>With the panic of the explosion long gone, Zuko's fears were quickly replaced by aches and pains throughout his body; as he lay, shrivelled up in the corner of a dusty and dimly lit warehouse, with only a tarp to cover him, he could only hope for better days. He knew it was better than being dead, but the pain made him regret his actions greatly; he knew it was stupid of him to be so bold, and follow his father around to begin with. Perhaps if he hadn't let his suspicions get the better of him, then he mightn't have found out what he had, and he could have served his father blindly. Being his father's tool was not what he desired, but he hated the very fact he'd gotten himself into a situation where his father tried to have him killed. He knew it went against everything he ought be like as a son, but he knew that at the very least, it vindicated his own feelings; Ozai was a terrible father and a manipulative person, and even if he wanted to care for his children, his desire for power was clearly in the way of that.</p><p>Rolling himself over, he glanced over to where Mai had been sitting, until she left; he had been in a daze when she had, so he was a little unsure why or where she had gone. He assumed she had gone to get some food, or perhaps to go find a means for them to leave the capital. The place they were staying was for the most part derelict, but they had taken a measure of security by hiding in the attic of the warehouse; Zuko knew it was cramped and had a sickening smell to it, but it was tolerable given his condition. He hoped that Mai would return, if only because he feared what might happen if somebody decided to go inside the warehouse; there were crates and various bags laid throughout the building, so he knew that it was still being used. He couldn't move fast nor quietly enough to avoid being spotted if somebody decided to snoop around, and he didn't want to knock out an innocent worker for just doing their job.</p><p>The Prince wished he felt better already, or that he was just a better firebender; if he had been, perhaps he would have had the guts to challenge his father to an Agni Kai and stop him and his machinations before they came to bite him. He had almost died the day prior, and it was only his caution that had saved him from being incinerated by the explosion that was set off inside the hideout, which he presumed had killed his father's body double. He kept running over the fact in his mind, and tried to ignore it, if only to save himself the anguish of knowing how terrible his father really was; he didn't even have the guts to address Zuko directly about his treachery, but instead decided to have him killed.</p><p>He sighed, and wished silently that he could have had a better family; being a Prince was a great honour, but he knew that the life of a commoner would have been preferable if he could have had a decent father and a living mother. His mother was dead, and she had been as long as he could remember, though he had vague inklings of memory when it came to her. He couldn't remember her face, only knowing it from the portraits he'd seen of her- there were only two, one of her and his father when they were married, and another of them with Zuko when he was a baby. He didn't really know what it would have been like with her around, but he knew she had to have been a better person than Ozai.</p><p>The Prince heard the sound of a door opening below him, and he tensed up, wondering whether it was Mai or if it was a worker; he preemptively curled himself up, and pulled the trap over himself, to hopefully hide his presence if it was a worker coming to pick some goods up. He remained as still as he could, and slowed his breathing down, hoping to remain hidden. He tensed up, listening to the sound of footsteps climbing up the creaky wooden stairs that led up to the attic, before he heard a low-pitched whistle. He pulled the tarp away from his face, and relaxed as he saw that it was Mai, who was standing by the top of the stairs with a bag slung over her shoulder, along with a headscarf that nearly covered her whole face. She pulled the headscarf off of her mouth, and eyed him with a curious face, or at least, he guessed that was what it was; her expressions were hard to decode, but he had gotten rather adept at understanding them over the years.</p><p>"Zuko." she addressed him with a whisper, "How are your burns?"</p><p>"Better." he told her, his words a near exaggeration; if anything, they hurt more than they had when he had first been hit by the explosion, and as the fatigue he had felt had faded, he became more aware of the pain, "Did you find- uh, anything useful?" he asked her, shuffling around slightly to keep his eyes on her as she approached, dropping her bag on the floor nearby, before she sat herself down beside him.</p><p>"Is there any reason your father might be leaving the Fire Nation Capital?" she asked him rather nonchalantly, and the Prince blinked a few times, surprised by the question; he didn't think there'd be a good reason for Ozai to leave if he wanted to secure his control over the Fire Nation government and make himself Fire Lord by law.</p><p>"N-no... no that I know of." he assured her, before narrowing his eyes, "Why are you asking this? Did you see him?"</p><p>"No, not him. A royal palanquin was coming down the main street; people came to look at it, but nobody waved out of it." she clarified, the Prince glancing off to the side, unsure how to comprehend what she was telling him.</p><p>"Why would Father..." he mumbled, before turning around to face her, "Unless it wasn't him."</p><p>"I think it has something to do with the 'holiday' my father spoke of. He was told that we were going to Ember Island." she explained, before pulling one of her throwing knives out, flicking it into the air before catching it with the opposite hand, "I think your father is trying to cover up our disappearances."</p><p>"That sounds like him." he conceded, before cringing slightly, a sharp pain striking his side; he just assumed it was from the movements he had made; Mai leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his sternum.</p><p>"Don't move too much, Zuko. Are you trying to make your injuries worse?" she asked him, the Prince shaking his head before he leaned it back onto the wall behind him.</p><p>"No, I don't." he assured her, "I just... urgh..." he let out a groan, knowing that he couldn't continue to sit where he had for what seemed like forever, "We need to leave."</p><p>"I'm working on it, Zuko." she stressed, "Don't get too impatient. I'm not exactly used to trying to smuggle a Prince out of the Fire Nation Capital."</p><p>"I wish we didn't have to leave." he added, "This isn't... right. Uncle's the Fire Lord. My father ought to be in chains for what he's done."</p><p>"But he's smarter than you, Zuko." she argued; there was no humour in his voice- she was being completely serious, "That's the danger here. We don't know how many steps ahead of us he already is."</p><p>The Prince cringed, knowing that she was right, even if he didn't want to admit it; his father was already aware of Zuko's actions long before he realised he had caught onto his sneaking around, if his suggestions at the last dinner they had shared was any indication. He didn't want to think he was incapable of outsmarting his father, but it didn't surprise him; the man wanted to take the throne for himself and destroy all his enemies. Somebody with such aspirations had to have all his potential loose ends tied up, and Zuko happened to be one of them.</p><p>"We're not going to win, are we?" he asked Mai, before his straight face faltered, realising he had ignored her own experiences, "Are you afraid?"</p><p>She turned her eyes away, and that told him more than any words would; she was human, even if she was able to pull the most stoic, uncaring faces and hold them against the odds. The distant look in her eyes told him she wished she wasn't there- that their nightmare would come to end. He was sure, however, that it was real, as he'd already slept on his burns and woken to their biting pain.</p><p>"What do you want me to say?" she retorted, less angry and more disheartened in her tone.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Mai." he simply told her, "This is my fault." he stressed, before pulling himself up slgihtly, "If I hadn't been so... stupid, then maybe we could have slept in our real beds."</p><p>"Just don't worry yourself too much." she suggested, her eyes meeting his own, as if to try and calm him simply with her gaze, "You're going to have a panic attack if you keep overthinking this."</p><p>"I- I just-" he stammered, before dropping his head down, "I don't know how we're going to win."</p><p>"We don't have to win, Zuko. We just need to get out of here." she stressed, before looking out to the nearby window, "Maybe we'll get to your uncle, or Azula. They'll be able to help us."</p><p>"Azula's not going to be happy when she finds out about all this." he noted, before chuckling, "She actually looks up to him, you know." he commented, though he knew that he was not too unlike Azula a few years prior; he'd learned however, that Ozai wasn't infallible, and he wasn't doing a good job at keeping his secrets secret- if she'd learned what he had, perhaps she would have personally challenged him to an Agni Kai, as unlike him, she could probably beat their father.</p><p>"Azula really does like your uncle." Mai observed, throwing her knife up into the air once more, before catching it in her left hand, "Ty Lee might tell her... actually, she might tell the army." she observed, before her eyes widened, "We should message her to assure her we're not dead.</p><p>Zuko nodded, not wanting Ty Lee to inadvertently set off a civil war on the presumption that they were dead; even if they wanted to appear so to his father, if only to avoid getting actually killed, if she believed they had been killed, then perhaps she'd send their evidence off, just as they'd told her to.</p><p>"We don't have an easy way to get a messenger hawk, do we?" he asked her, hoping for the best, but knowing that they mightn't be so lucky to find a way to message her friend.</p><p>"Hiring one." she told him as a matter of fact, before reaching into her pocket, "Money is something we are in short supply of."</p><p>"Well..." he mumbled, before cringing, "Could we steal one?"</p><p>"From a post office?" she asked, the Prince nodding, knowing that was where they were located; most nobles, as well as the royal family, had their own messenger hawk posts in their homes, but the common people could go to the post office to send and receive messages, "Maybe." she nodded, "I could try to go there tonight, but I'd have to leave you here for a while."</p><p>"It's... it's alright. I can hide well enough." he argued, making her look at him with an ever so skeptical face.</p><p>"Really? You can barely walk without grunting and groaning." she warned him, before shaking her head, "It's unsafe for us to be here." she gestured around the attic, the Prince sighing, knowing that nowhere was safe for them after what had happened.</p><p>"Nowhere's really safe. We could pretend to be vagrants, but then the guards might come and harass us."</p><p>"We are vagrants, Zuko." she corrected him, the Prince wincing, realising how far he'd fallen in the course of two days.</p><p>"Well, I guess that gives us an excuse to steal whatever we need to survive."</p><p>"I'm not a master thief." she warned him, "You seem to be far better at sneaking around."</p><p>'Well, as soon as I stop grunting and groaning, I'll get right to stealing whatever we need."</p><hr/><p>"Aang, why did we have to ride the mail chute?"</p><p>The young Avatar cringed at Sokka's question, realising that his idea was pretty dumb in hindsight; he had just wanted to have a little fun after having being stuck on Azula's ship, and then having to fight off the craziest firebender he'd ever seen, but now, as they were prisoners of the King of Omashu, Aang took back his desire to have some fun. The guards had taken them prisoner, and now some angry cabbage merchant wanted them dead; he was a little interested, however, given that they were going to go see the same king the Fire Lord, Azula's uncle, had been intending to go see. That was until he was shipwrecked, and his niece sailed as fast as she could to go find him. He just hoped that his little escapade wouldn't ruin any relationship he could forge with the local king, knowing that he would be helpful to talk to given his communications with the Fire Lord who he was originally intended to be taken to.</p><p>"Sorry, guys." he apologised, before making an awkward smile, "It was fun wasn't it?"</p><p>"I mean... it was a really dangerous version of penguin sledding." Katara admitted, before turning her eyes to face the king, who the guards were forcing them to approach, "This guy seems... interesting." she admitted, the young Avatar nodding; upon examining the man's appearance, he noted that his robes and hat were surprisingly colourful for an Earth Kingdom ruler, not that he'd seen many, not to mention he looked so old that he had to be at least ninety years old, if not a hundred.</p><p>They were forced down to their knees by the guards behind them, and one of them stepped forward to address the elderly monarch, "Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, travelling under false pretenses and malicious destruction of cabbages."</p><p>Behind them, Aang heard the aggrieved cabbage merchant crying out with an agitated voice, "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"</p><p>"Silence!" the guard turned to gesture to the merchant, "Only the king can pass down judgement. What is your judgement, sire?" he asked his liege, who narrowed his eyes at the trio; the three of them cringed, hoping that he would be at least a little sympathetic.</p><p>He raised his chin up and let out a little snicker, "Oh, this is funny."</p><p>"Sire?" the guard asked him, a little confused by his reaction; the trio glanced at each other, all of them equally confused as each other.</p><p>"You do know you could have just come up to the palace, Aang, and I would have let you in." the King addressed him, making him drop his jaw, bewildered as to how the king already knew his name.</p><p>"How do you know his name?" Sokka asked him first, before the Avatar even had a chance to question it.</p><p>"Well, that's easy. He's my good friend. Even after a hundred years I don't forget my friends' names." he assured him, the young Avatar's eyes widening as his mouth opened wide, ecstatic upon realising who the king really was; of all the people that could be sitting on the throne before him, in was the one person from Omashu he actually knew.</p><p>"Bumi!" he shouted out his name, beaming at him brightly, before his jaw dropped slightly, a little amazed to think that his friend was sitting before him, an old and wise king, "How'd you become a king?"</p><p>"A hundred years is a long time, Aang. Crazy things can happen." he assured him, rising up to his feet, before he raised his hand up, "Please, unshackle them. I can't have the Avatar and his friends in chains."</p><p>The guards nodded, and immediately moved to free them from their shackles; Katara and Sokka were both amazed by the revelation and the former immediately strode closer to the king with an interested expression.</p><p>"We're really lucky that you're the king of this place. Aang was just talking about you, before we... uh, used one of your mail chutes as a ride."</p><p>"Well, I don't blame you for trying it. I taught it to Aang myself." he acknowledged, before raising his hand, his eyes rising to the guards, and his voice shifting to a more serious tone, "Leave us. I want to speak with the Avatar alone."</p><p>"Of course, sire." the guards both bowed toward him, before they approached the cabbage merchant, who had a frustrated look on his face.</p><p>"Come on now." one of them grasped him by the shoulder, "You can always get another cart."</p><p>"But my cabbages..." he decried their words, before turning around, clearly saddened he didn't get his justice; Aang, however, was glad, given he was asking, insanely enough, to have them killed for destroying his cart- it was truly an accident, and he felt a little sorry that the man had come all the way to the palace for nothing.</p><p>"Now, now," Bumi spoke up, eyeing the three of them, "who wants to have some dinner?" he asked, sounding rather happy to provide for them; the young Avatar wasn't surprised, given he was his friend, but it was a little generous, given they'd just run amok in his city.</p><p>"Oh! You know, I'd love to eat some-" Sokka began, Katara raising a hand to quiet her brother.</p><p>"Sokka, do you have any manners? Do you want to take the food from a bunch of people that are under attack from the Fire Nation" she questioned him, the Water Tribe boy making a sheepish smile.</p><p>"Uh, sorry." he made an awkward smile, Bumi chuckling, before he glanced over to his right.</p><p>"No, it's alright. The food might be a while however. My attendants will make sure you have full stomachs. The people in my city have been well fed, despite the siege, so I'm sure there is enough to spare for you." he stressed, before eyeing his friend, "Aang, there's some people I'd like you to meet."</p><p>His eyes widened, remembering what Azula had told him about her uncle travelling to Omashu for a peace treaty, "Oh! Am I going to meet the Fire Lord?"</p><p>Bumi blinked a few times, before looking at him with confusion, "Does being the Avatar give you the ability to read people's minds? If so, that's a neat ability."</p><p>"Ah! So I was right!" he placed his hands on his hips, proud of his deduction skills, "She said he was going here."</p><p>His friend stroked his goatee before eyeing the two Water Tribe siblings, leaning forward to whisper to them, despite the fact Aang could hear him, "Excuse me, who is he talking about? I don't want to sound senile."</p><p>"Princess Azula." Aang clarified, "My acquaintance. Maybe she's my friend. Depends if she tries to chain me up next time she sees us."</p><p>"She's not your friend, Aang." Katara argued, the King of Omashu raising a hand, perplexed but clearly having a thought in mind.</p><p>"Princess Azula tried to capture you?" he asked, the young Avatar nodding, making the king smirk, "Oh, that's funny."</p><p>"Why?" he asked his friend, who shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"Oh, well, it doesn't really matter. She probably wanted to take you to her uncle, correct?" he asked, the young Avatar smiling; it seems that he also was good at figuring out the situation without much prior knowledge, which made sense- Bumi had always been a genius.</p><p>"Yeah." he nodded, before glancing around the throne room, "Where is he? I wanted to tell him that his niece was doing a good job."</p><p>"Well, she didn't capture you, Aang." Sokka corrected him, "That's not really her doing a good job."</p><p>"Well, he's meant to arrive any day now. He sent a letter a few weeks ago telling me we were going to have a grand meeting right here in my throne room." he explained, before scrunching his lips up, "Aang, you wouldn't happen to know where the Fire Lord is, would you?"</p><p>"Uh... I think he's somewhere around in the Earth Kingdom, by the coast. He's been chased around by these crazy powerful assassins."</p><p>Bumi snorted, before laughing, "Oh, that was a terrible choice of a job for whoever made it." he noted, Katara stepping forward.</p><p>"Uh, the guy who was trying to kill him... who tried to kill us, he can firebend with his mind."</p><p>"And I can earthbend with my ears." the King of Omashu quipped in return, the nonchalance of the comment surprising the Water Tribe teens, though, Aang didn't put it past his friend to do something so absurd yet cool.</p><p>"You can what?!" Sokka exclaimed with amazement, "Okay, I've gotta see this." he requested, Bumi smirking as he twisted his neck a few times, before squinting, his right ear moving, and with it, a small pillar rose up beside the Water Tribe teen, "Yeah, your friend here could probably beat that guy." he argued, before narrowing his eyes, "If he can bend as well with the rest of his body as he can with his ears."</p><p>"Why, thank you, young man." he smiled at him, his giddy grin shifting as he eyed both him and Katara, "Sorry, I didn't catch both your names. Sokka and..."</p><p>"Katara." the Water tribe girl told him her name, before bowing in respect, "Your highness."</p><p>"Oh, you don't need to be so formal." he assured her, "You're my guests." he explained, before turning his eyes to Aang once more, "Now, about Iroh."</p><p>"Iroh?" he furrowed a brow, before his eyes widened, realising he was referring to the Fire Lord, "Oh, yeah, the Fire Lord. What about him?"</p><p>"When did he get attacked? I hadn't heard about this until you spoke to me just now."</p><p>"Uh, about two weeks ago, I think." he told him, unsure if he was exactly right; he knew it had to be at least a week prior given, that was when Azula had come to capture him on Kyoshi Island and learned of the shipwreck.</p><p>"Well, if his niece is as competent a bender as I've heard, I'm sure she'll handle those assassins for him, and he'll be on his way here, unless he's got another idea." he noted, sounding understandably concerned about the Fire Lord's situation, before his face straightened, "We didn't know about your return, Aang, not until the temples lit up." he explained, "Your presence changes our plans."</p><p>"What plans?"</p><p>"The Fire Lord and I belong to a... well, it's a club of old men mostly. Some old women too, and a few young people." he explained, before gesturing to a door to his right, "Some of them are staying right here in the palace right now. They'll probably want to meet you."</p><p>"Why does a... 'old man's club' want to meet me?" Aang asked, a little confused as to why they were interested in him, other than by virtue of him being the Avatar.</p><p>"We're called the Order of the White Lotus, and we're all here to make world peace, Aang, and you... well, the Avatar's a good person for making peace." he noted, the young Avatar nodding, knowing that speaking with such people was probably a good idea; he didn't know much about being a good Avatar- the most he'd learnt about his own role was from Azula, and he'd only spent a few days with her.</p><p>His friend raised a finger, "Though I know you can make some good tricks too." he smirked at him, the young Avatar grinning.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I can." he assured him, "I pretended to be an old man to get into your city."</p><p>"You're a hundred and twelve too... that's not pretending." he argued, before gesturing to the door, "Well, shall we go meet them?"</p><p>"Is there going to be snacks?" Sokka asked, making Katara slap him across the back of the head.</p><p>"Why yes, actually." the king confirmed, clearly holding back a laugh from her reaction, "Would you care for some jennamite?" he asked, pulling out some odd looking crystals, the two Water Tribe teens looking at each other.</p><p>"You eat rocks?" she asked, her ajar mouth and narrowed glare suggesting she found the idea to be a little bit crazy; it was, in Aang's eyes, but if he was really such a good earthbender, he guessed it might be possible to actually eat them.</p><p>"No, I eat jennamite." he corrected, before taking a bite out of it, cracking a bit off and shattering it with his teeth with surprising ease, "And it's delicious." he explained with his mouth half full.</p><p>"I love food, but even that's too far for me." Sokka conceded, before scrunching his lips up, "Uh, what about tea?"</p><p>"Oh, we have lots of tea. I'm a king. Kings always offer their guests tea."</p><p>"How many kings do you know?" Katara asked him, the monarch raising his eyes up toward the ceiling, raising two fingers.</p><p>"Well, seeing the Fire Lord is a lord, not a king," he noted, dropping one of his fingers down, "and I never met the last Earth King, so then I guess that'd just be me. The only king in the world." he conceded, before snorting, and cackling, the reaction he always liked to make, and that made Aang grin, just glad he had somebody he knew from his life before the iceberg.</p><p>"I missed you, Bumi." he told him, his friend smiling back at him, though his happy face quickly faltered into one of suspicious.</p><p>"I was confused for a hundred years. I thought you might have become a hermit and grown a long beard. Mastered the elements all by yourself." he noted, before narrowing his eyes, "But you haven't aged a day. Like at all."</p><p>"Yeah, that's what freaky Avatar powers do." the Water Tribesman added, "Freak up time and aging. Maybe he'll live forever."</p><p>"That's not how being the Avatar works. Did you see all those statues?" he asked his friend, who scrunched his lips up, before nodding, comprehending his point- the Avatar didn't live forever, even if he hadn't aged after a hundred years in an iceberg.</p><p>"Okay, fair point. Maybe you'll just be the youngest oldest man ever."</p><p>"Now, that's crazy, I thought I was younger than you." Bumi argued, making Aang shake his head, finding his jokes a little too funny.</p><p>"What do us one-hundred-and-twelve-year-olds get up to anyway?"</p><p>"Schooling people with our bending." he clarified, before smirking, "Would you like to test your skills, young Avatar?"</p><p>"Oh, I guess. I don't know how much you know now."</p><p>"With age comes wisdom and strength." he raised a finger, before earthbending the doors open, leading them down the hallway.</p><p>"Strength of mind...." Sokka mumbled, before his eyes widened, "So, are you like a master strategist?" he asked Bumi, who looked at him a little bemusedly, before nodding.</p><p>"Oh, I guess I am a good strategist, but I'm mostly strong."</p><p>"How strong can a one hundred and twelve year old man be?" he asked, sounding skeptical of his abilities; the blank look on Bumi's face was the closest he'd come to being offended, though the smug look that appeared afterwards told Aang that his confidence outweighed any words of doubt thrown his way.</p><p>"Are you a waterbender?" he queried, the Water Tribe warrior shaking his head.</p><p>"Uh... no, Katara is." he gestured to his sister, making the King of Omashu snicker, pointing to him to stress his point.</p><p>"You're a lucky boy." he noted, "I might have just had to challenge you to a duel."</p><p>"I can fight." Sokka argued, his sister placing a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"I know Suki was a good teacher and all, but I don't think you can beat Bumi. Just look at his shoulders." she gestured to the king's broad shoulders, which were indicative of a rather powerful stature, which would be a lot more apparent if not for the way he leaned over.</p><p>"Do you have back problems or something?" the warrior asked once more, obviously confused by his posture, which was very hunched, which was confusing, given how spritely Bumi seemed to be.</p><p>"No, I'm just like Aang." he smirked, elbowing the young Avatar, "Very good at fooling people into thinking I'm an old man... well, I am an old man, but I'm a master earthbender too. Nobody's better."</p><p>"Is he joking, Aang?" the Water Tribesman asked him.</p><p>"Bumi is a master of tricking people. If he's tricking people into thinking he can't fight... he can definitely fight. Or maybe... it's reversed."</p><p>"You'll never know until you come to the arena." the king shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, Aang catching his suggestion; he was just too curious about his friend's clearly powerful abilities to refuse the offer.</p><p>"Okay, you're on."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The Bonds That Tie Us</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Prince Iroh, we're here."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Dragon of the West didn't know if he was ready to have the conversation he knew was about to occur; he was not Ursa's husband, merely her brother-in-law, and even then, he didn't know her that well. Of course, he had been on friendly terms with her, and knew enough about her prior life to feel a throbbing guilt in his heart over what his father had done to her; Fire Lord Azulon had ruined her life, and stolen her youth from her, and though he was his father, Iroh could admit the despicable nature of his actions, and the reason he had done what he had was part of the reason he had come all the way to Hira'a.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had to meet somebody, somebody who was important not just because of their relation to his niece and nephew, but because of their relationship to his grandfather. Fire Lord Sozin had been dead for more than seventy years, but his shadow cast long over their family, and the family who lived in the house that sat before him. Iroh, despite never knowing the man, felt guilt for the very actions he had committed, knowing how heinous they had been; he knew of the great things he wanted to achieve, and he believed in that dream, but that didn't mean he was infallible- no man or woman ever was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He turned to face the Imperial Firebender who was standing by his carriage, and smiled at him, "Thank you for coming all this way with me. I'm sure the security wasn't necessary, but it is appreciated." he simply acknowledged the man and his comrades for the work they did in protecting him.</em>
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  <em>"It is no worry, your highness. We live to serve and protect you." he bowed to him, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation letting out a little chuckle.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, I know. Now, I would like to go inside alone, if that is alright."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We wouldn't dare to refuse your command, your highness, even if it goes against our duties." another of his guards spoke up, assuring him of their loyalty.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good." he smiled, before gesturing to the house, "I don't think I'll be here for that long." he admitted, before pacing on over toward the doors of the house; he could see a few bystanders on the street, who looked rather confused to see a Prince of the Fire Nation walking through their quaint, isolated village in the eastern islands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When he reached the door, he knocked on it, and waited patiently for somebody to refuse him. As Prince, he could legally enter the house, as was his right, but he didn't want to be impolite. He did have to wait for a short while, but quickly enough, the door was unlocked, and then opened; a young woman, probably only a few years older than his son, looked at him with a rather perplexed face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"U-uh... your highness." she bowed to him, obviously surprised to see him at the door, "I didn't know you were coming here."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I didn't announce myself. I thought that my father and brother... mightn't approve of this visit." he admitted, before glancing past her shoulder, "Is she here?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Lady Rina is in her greenhouse." she clarified, before making a slight grimace, "She has not taken to the news well... Magistrate Jinzuk only passed a few months ago- it was a heart-attack." she explained, the Prince sighing, shaking his head; he didn't want to bring any more unnecessary grief to her, but he knew that he ought to see her, before she too passed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That is sad news." he grimaced, feeling sorry for the old woman who had lost both her husband and only child in the span of a few months, "Can I see her?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will tell her that you want to see her." the woman nodded, before she tensed up, "Did you know Lady Ursa well?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She was a good woman." he simply acknowledged what he thought of her, "Fate has been unkind to this family."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." she nodded, before she winced, looking away from his gaze, "Ikem too."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh." his eyes widened, remembering that name from his conversations with Ursa; her first love, who had nearly gotten himself killed by Ozai's guards, "Did something happen to that boy?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He went into the forest three years ago, and he's never come back." she explained, her expression, near the point of shedding tears, suggesting she knew him personally, though Iroh couldn't discern how; she then sighed, bowing to him once more as she dropped her head down, almost in shame, "I apologise, I'll go inform Lady Rina at once."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Dragon of the West stood at the door, and placed his hands behind his back while the girl went to go inform Rina; he assumed she was a servant, or perhaps a family friend who was tending to the old woman given her circumstances. Without any other family members, she would obviously find it a challenge to care for herself. He glanced around the street, and saw some children who were looking at him intently, obviously wondering what he was doing there. He made a small smile and waved to them, and they waved back, surprisingly enough; perhaps his stout figure and warm smile really did help people get along with him, despite his royal status.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He heard the girl's voice once more, "She's waiting for you." she told him, and Iroh turned around, "Come in." she added, and with that, he did, pacing down through the hallway at the front of the building, making his way to toward the rear, where he assumed the access to Rina's greenhouse would be; that was something else he'd heard about from Ursa, who mentioned it as being a very calming place for her to spend her time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He made his way toward the girl, who gestured to her right; he glanced down the other hallway, noting the slightly dimmed sunlight that was emanating through the glass of the greenhouse; he paced toward it, taking note of the wide variety of plants inside, as well as the old woman who sat on a cushion, with her legs cross and head turned away from him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I had a feeling you might come here." she spoke up, Iroh stepping a little bit closer, reaching his arm out toward her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I- I apologise, Lady Rina. My... I can't believe I didn't say anything." he grimaced, realising that by not even going against his father's plans, he'd led the events that had transpired occur; he loved his niece and nephew, but he wished that their very existence hadn't come at such a cost to the lives and happiness of others.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It is not your fault, General Iroh." she turned her gaze toward him, eyeing up and down his body, "I've heard you look like him." she noted, addressing the individual who was to blame for her woes; he had been told that in his youth, he was a spitting image of the portraits of Fire Lord Sozin, back when he was just Crown Prince.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've been told the same." he admitted, "I am sorry for that, too." he added, addressing the thing that Rina had probably had felt anguish over her entire life, "That was... unnecessary, and cruel." he simply stated it how it was; Avatar Roku had not deserved to die, and Fire Lord Sozin's actions were so heinous that the man himself regretted them greatly, despite the fact of what he did twelve years later.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I cannot remember my father." she admitted, turning her eyes toward her plants, "But my mother told me stories of him. That he was tall, handsome, and a kind, generous man; that he served our world with all his heart. I wish I could have met him, properly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He stepped closer to her, "I wish things could have gone differently." he admitted, before he gestured down beside her, "Do you mind if I sit?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, go ahead." she allowed him, and with that, he sat himself down beside her; she sighed, glancing up towards the transparent glass windows that sat above her, "I have two grandchildren I've never met. Jinzuk never met them either." she admitted, tears dropping down her cheeks, before she turned to face him, "What are they like?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They are both cute." he admitted with a little chuckle, "Zuko's a playful little boy, and he's got a kind heart. He feeds the little turtle ducks in the palace gardens with my son; that's what he used to do with her."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's nice." she admitted, before blinking a few times, "And what of my granddaughter?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula is just a baby, but I can tell she'll grow strong. She doesn't cry that much, and she's... inquisitive. More than most babies I've ever seen." he acknowledged, Rina's smile showing him that those thoughts of her grandchildren, even if only for a moment, outweighed her grief for her daughter's untimely passing, "She looks like her."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Does she?" she looked at him, a little surprised, "I'd think the royal blood would run through and through." she admitted, making Iroh chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think they're as much her as they are... him." he acknowledged, thinking about how his brother was as a child; he just hoped that they would turn out better than him- more than that, he knew he had to make sure they didn't become like their father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I guess your father succeeded... didn't he?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The blood of an Avatar runs through the royal family." he acknowledged what had been achieved, before pursing his lips upward, feeling hopeful on the futures of Ursa's two children, "I believe it might do more good for our country than he might have presumed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My daughter was... kind.... good. She was a lot of things, the kind I think a Prince or Princess should be." she acknowledged, before turning her eyes away looking toward one of her plants, "There's something I think you might want."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Me?" he raised a brow, Rina reaching behind the plant, drawing out something he only recognised from court portraits; if things had gone differently, it would have been sitting on his head his entire life, but his grandfather, in an act of friendship and kindness, had gifted it to his friend, Avatar Roku- the Crown Prince's headpiece.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She offered it toward him, and Iroh reached to touch it, knowing where it had come from- it was more his by right than anything visions of a great conquest told him, "I mean... it ought to be on my head, all things considered, but I..." he trailed off, turning away, filled with shame once more over what Sozin had done, "I can't take it, not after what he did."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I know that." she shook her head, agreeing with him, "It belongs to them." she clarified her intentions, "They are both the giver and receiver. They were born to wear it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They're..." he began, before raising his chin up, "They are worthy, and it is their right." he agreed with her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She placed the headpiece in his hands, and pushed his fingers toward it, making him grasp it, "Will you please... I... I don't have much time left in this world." she asked of him, pleadingly, the anguish in her voice all too noticeable, "I will see my daughter and husband... and my father and mother soon enough, but I need- I need you to give them this."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will, Lady Rina." he assured her, "You have my word." he stressed, placing a hand on his chest to emphasise the point, before his eyes widened, realising there was something she could do, something perhaps even more powerful than the thing he had placed in his hands, "Would you like to write a letter? You could... you could tell them what you want them to know."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes brightened, and she pursed her lips upward, "I would like that, your highness." she admitted, before taking a long, deep breath, "Tell Jizhen to fetch me a scroll." she explained her desire, the Prince rising to his feet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course." he admitted, before turning his gaze back toward where the girl had been standing, only to realise she wasn't there anymore; he glanced down into his hands, looking at the headpiece, and wondering when, and how he'd show it to his niece and nephew, and explain the story of how it came to his hands.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps he'd tell them the story he'd learned through his own rebellious teenage years, sneaking into places he really shouldn't have; he knew at the time, however, that learning about the fates of Fire Lord Sozin and Avatar Roku was important for him, and now it was vital for his niece and nephew.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She spoke up once more, "General Iroh."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes?" he turned back to face her, the old woman's bittersweet smile becoming a fearful grimace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You'll... end the war, won't you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will make sure there is no need to fight. No more..." he began, before clenching his left hand into a fist; even just trying to imagine what happened to the Air Nomads sickened him, "I won't let all of this be in vain."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's all I can ask for."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The afternoon sun shone down upon the valley, and gave Azula a good view to eat her lunch with; it was calm and serene, unlike the rather stuffy interior of the tank-train, which was presently sitting off to the side, turned off while the workers inside and her guards enjoyed a little break. They had been travelling for a good day since she found her uncle, and now, all she knew was that she would not stop until they reached Omashu. If her uncle was so intent on reaching the city, then they'd get there at haste, but she knew that the military presence was large, and hiding her uncle from his own soldiers would be a challenge</p><p>His location couldn't be given away while the threat of the assassins was still present; she didn't know how well connected her father's plot was, but she had a feeling that many were on his side, enough so that any information about her uncle's location that was given to the military would find its way to the very men who were intent on killing him. She knew she shouldn't be worrying about the threats that awaited them, and just got into eating her meal, which was already sitting in front of her; a nice rice dish, though it didn't come with much else, given it was hard to store a lot of food onboard the tank-train, not to mention only one cook had come with them.</p><p>"My niece, are you not hungry?" Iroh asked her, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"I'm fine, Uncle." she tried to dissuade his concerns; she picked up the chopsticks in front of her, and began to chew down on her meal.</p><p>"I know you're worried, Azula." he acknowledged her fears, "You have every right to be. This is not the kind of situation a fourteen year old girl should be in."</p><p>"Well, Uncle, I am." she addressed the fact of the matter, "I can't do much about it but prepare for the worst case scenario. You know what that is, don't you?"</p><p>"Yes, I do." he nodded, "We're in serious danger, but I'm sure that as long as we can keep my presence on your tank train under wraps, your father's assassins won't know where to find me."</p><p>"Perhaps they already know you're with me. I can't exactly hide with this massive thing." she gestured her right hand toward the tank-train.</p><p>"That's... well, you're right." he sighed, raising his teacup up to his lips before taking a sip, "The army will know you're coming, and there'll be checkpoints everyone around the sieging forces."</p><p>"We'll have to hide you well, Uncle. Once we're close enough, I assume there might be some way for us to access the city on foot."</p><p>"There is." he nodded, "Last time I was there, King Bumi explained to me that the sewers can be accessed to enter the city, without having to pass through security." he explained, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"Uncle, just how many times have you met this man?"</p><p>"Oh, well, I met him in the field of battle once. He's a terrifying opponent, despite his age, and this was... well, almost thirty years ago. I've seen him a few times since, and my membership of the organisation meant that I could come to his city after... Ba Sing Se."</p><p>"Your journey around the Earth Kingdom." she reminded herself of what he had done after the loss of his son, "So, I assume it was more worthwhile than you made out, Uncle."</p><p>"I'm not wholly truthful when it comes to my private endeavours, my niece." he admitted with a little chuckle.</p><p>Azula pursed her lips upward, considering that her uncle's lies, though slightly unnerving to hear about, were also reassuring; the more he kept to himself, the more they could use to protect themselves from Ozai's machinations. She took another bite from her meal, and licked her lips, wondering if the meal was really suitable for the Fire Lord who sat across from her.</p><p>"Uncle, is the meal to your liking?"</p><p>"Why, it is." he beamed at her, "Though, I could use more of it." he acknowledged, the Princess snapping her finger, which indicated for the servant, who had been standing waiting to serve them to approach; she bowed toward them both, and held a professional smile on her face.</p><p>"Your majesty, your highness, what is it that you need?"</p><p>"Was there any leftovers from the meal we're eating? My uncle is in need of some more."</p><p>"The cook did have some left over." she confirmed, turning to face the Fire Lord, "How much would you like, your majesty?"</p><p>"Another full bowl, please." he requested, before turning his eyes down, "I just have to finish it off."</p><p>"I see." she glanced down to his near empty bowl, which he quickly scooped the contents up from into his mouth, before handing her the bowl.</p><p>"Send my compliments to the cook. He certainly does know how to make a meal."</p><p>"You appointed him to my ship yourself." Azula raised a brow, making him chuckle.</p><p>"The Royal Palace does have the best cooks in the country." he agreed with her, before picking up his tea cup, "Would you like some tea, Niece?"</p><p>She blankly looked his way, and wondered if she even had the right to refuse; he was the Fire Lord after all, and his word was law.</p><p>"I will have some." she accepted his offer, and with that, he flipped over the ceramic cup that had been sitting on the table in front of them, and poured some tea into it.</p><p>"It's quite the view, isn't it?"</p><p>"Calming." she made a one word observation of the vista, which she did approve of, if only for the fact that looking out into it made her forget what she was doing; if only for a moment, she could just appreciate something that was completely unrelated to her efforts and duties as a Princess of the Fire Nation.</p><p>She took another bite from her meal, and wondered what might be going on with the boy who she had intended to capture, and his friends; she could only hope they hadn't gotten themselves into the kind of trouble that she'd have to get them out of. She was in no way intending to act as the saviour to the Avatar and his friends, and really only wanted two things from them; their respect and trust, which would be vital, given what she understood might come from her father's desires for the throne. Even if she was interested in learning more about the Air Nomads from Aang, let alone the world of a hundred years prior, that was merely a lingering interest from her journey, and not relevant in the slightest to the threats that faced both her and her nation. What was more relevant to her was making sure she and her uncle could remain safe from the dangers posing them, and find a way to safely convene with and earn the trust of the Avatar.</p><p>She picked up the cup of tea, before narrowing her eyes, considering what might follow their meeting with her uncle's associates, "Uncle, do you have a solution for the assassin problem?"</p><p>"Are you offering one?" he raised a brow, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>"Well, I know you'll need some protection. We'll both need it, and the Imperial Firebenders are useful, but Uncle, if we had to leave the Royal Procession behind, in case Father began to openly pursue you, then we'd need to-" she began, only to be cut off by the servant approaching the table with her uncle's bowl refilled.</p><p>"Your-" she spoke up, before realising she'd cut the Princess off mid sentence; she bowed her head down in shame, "My greatest apologies, your highness, I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation with his majesty."</p><p>"It was more of an exposition, actually." Iroh joked, before he gestured down in front of himself, where the servant girl placed the bowl, "Thank you. That's all I'll be needing for now."</p><p>The Princess was tossing up whether she ought to chide the servant, but decided against it, knowing that getting antsy with her would only leave a bad impression on her uncle; she was meant to be the cool and calm one, unlike her elder brother, who despite being good at lying and hiding his emotions, tended to be far more prone to outbursts than her. The events of the past week suggested perhaps the lack of challenges she had faced, relative to her skills and mental fortitude, might have stopped her from having those same outbursts that plagued her brother. Mastering firebending truly wasn't much of a deal compared to comprehending and accepting the idea that her father was a traitor and would-be kinslayer.</p><p>"As I was saying." she spoke up, declaring her intention to speak once more, her uncle nodding as he began to chew down on his meal, "We will need to find a way to protect ourselves with as little loose weight as possible. As useful as the Imperial Firebenders are, they're more than ready to stop you from being killed in the field of battle against the enemies of our nation, but less so against other highly skilled firebenders."</p><p>"Well, how do we stop these highly skilled firebenders, Princess Azula?" he asked her, his hands raised up to his chin, clearly curious to hear what she had to say.</p><p>"I know somebody." she pursed her lips upward, making him chuckle.</p><p>"Oh, you just want to have a social life, admit it." he prodded her, the Princess rolling her eyes.</p><p>"I will admit I have more than one reason to seek Ty Lee's assistance, but that is the most important of them: she has incomparable skills when it comes to chi-blocking, and that will help us deal with every possible threat, which understandably, consists mostly of benders, specifically firebenders."</p><p>"That's true, my niece." he agreed with her, "So, we're going to recruit your friend?" he asked her in clarification, "Or are we going to woo her with free food and tea?"</p><p>"I don't think circus-performers are the richest people in the world." she admitted, before chuckling, "Bribing her with essentials might actually work, Uncle. Plus, she'll be able to enjoy my presence once again." she proudly declared, making him nod, though he seemed rather skeptical of her confidence in wooing her friend, "What, you don't think she likes me?"</p><p>"I'm sure she does, but I don't think she likes you because of your social skills." he acknowledged bluntly, Azula slamming her hands onto the table in front of her, nearly spilling her cup of tea.</p><p>"Excuse me?! I have social skills, Uncle." she retorted, her uncle's amused grin making her way to throw a fireball into his face.</p><p>"Well, you do." he conceded, "But you ought to work on them. If you're going to try and make the Avatar our ally, you'll need to be able to talk to people without scaring them with the threat of death and violence."</p><p>"I didn't threaten him with-" she began to argue, before grimacing, "Urgh, I really shouldn't have mentioned that bit about Father."</p><p>"Oh, did you tell him what Ozai might like to do with him?" he asked, the Princess turning her eyes away.</p><p>"Just shut up, Uncle." she snarled at him, before taking a sip from her cup of tea, "I did." she added quietly, making him shrug his shoulders.</p><p>"Honesty is not always the best when it comes to diplomacy."</p><p>"What, so now you like my lying?" she asked, the Fire Lord scrunching his lips up.</p><p>"The question is when and when not to lie, not whether it is good or not." he proposed, the Princess nodding, thinking that was a fair idea.</p><p>"Hmph, that's right." she agreed with him, "So, should I paint a great, flower-filled image in the head of the Avatar of our great nation, or be as blunt as a hammer?"</p><p>"Somewhere in between." he gave his answer, indirect as ever, "We aren't always right, and if you acknowledge the flaws in our nation, then you might be able to see how they might be fixed, and how the Avatar might help us with that."</p><p>"I can't see what he can do that you can't." she argued, crossing her arms, before she winced, "Other than turn into an inconceivably powerful being channelling the power of a thousand past lives."</p><p>"I cannot do that, unfortunately." he conceded, "Being the Avatar is a great burden, but also a privilege. They have the power to change the world, and it is best if we participate in that change rather than railing against it. That will only bring more misery, to both the world and our nation in particular."</p><p>"What can be done?" she asked him, "We can't surrender to the other nations, Uncle. We have to wield the power we have and use it... somehow. We've taken the world, and now we're placed to finish Sozin's dream." she argued, "Isn't that what we should be doing?"</p><p>"Prosperity is a good thing, but not when it comes at the cost of harming the livelihoods of others." he simply told her, referring to the goal the Fire Nation had always had in their war against the other nations; bringing prosperity to the world, which wasn't just their own nation- Sozin imagined a future where there was only one nation, and they would be prosperous, technically-advanced and united in aspiration for a world that was ruled by a benevolent and gracious monarch, the Fire Lord.</p><p>"How can we change it?" she asked, before grimacing slightly; she couldn't trust the world in the hands of a bunch of incompetent idealists.</p><p>She needed somebody who knew what the world was like, and how to deal with all its complexities, and that person was sitting right in front of her, "You're... Uncle, you're the person who ought to rule the world. You are the only one capable of doing it."</p><p>"The world doesn't need to be ruled by one man, Azula." he argued, making her narrow her eyes at him.</p><p>"What... so you're just going to give up our victory, for peace?"</p><p>"I-" he began, before turning away, "I know you don't wish to see our struggles turned to nothing, my niece. I know... I know that better than most people." he acknowledged, referring to the event that haunted them both; she didn't want to think too much about her cousin, knowing it would only make her angry.</p><p>She turned her eyes away, imagining what her cousin might think of what she had done with herself; she didn't know if he'd be happy or disappointed in her choice to go off on a journey by herself. He was always one to go on about becoming smarter and stronger, though he always said it in a way that seemed so much nicer than her father. Improving oneself didn't mean one had to become a soulless killer; she knew she had feelings, and she had grief, and acting like she didn't would just be as stupid as giving into those feelings. She had to wield them, like her father told her to wield her anger; he was right, but just not in the way that he thought he was.</p><p>"I can't let him down." she admitted, before wincing, realising what her uncle really wanted, "And you can't, either."</p><p>"That's right, Azula." he smiled at her, before gesturing down to the food in front of her, "You better eat your food. It's going to get cold."</p><p>"And the tea." she observed, before shaking her head, "How absent-minded of me." she chided herself, before taking the chopsticks back into her hands.</p><p>She was unsure if the food would distract her that much from her thoughts, but she knew that she could console herself with the fact that instead of being dead, her uncle was sitting right in front of her. She had spent those days on the ship panicking, and when she faced the assassins, she feared the worst; now with somebody she could trust by her side, she knew that she could achieve her dreams- she just had the added bonus of Iroh being the exact person she needed to impress. The throne might be many years away, but being Crown Princess was within her reach, and that could break her straight lips into a small, grateful smile.</p><hr/><p>With two scrolls fastened to her belt, Mai knew what she was going to do as she made sight of the post office; the street-lamps lining each side were lighting the otherwise dark streets, as the sun had set around an hour prior, and a cool breeze was running across her, blowing her dark robes around. She had exchanged her usual clothes, which to her luck, were basically undamaged from all the fighting she had experienced since she left her home a few days prior, with drab, simple robes, similar in colour, but of a much simpler design. They reminded her of the traditional commoners clothes she had seen in her school books, which mostly consisted of long dresses or baggy pants, along with tunics that were usually covered with long robes that kept out the intense tropical sun.</p><p>Her own outfit consisted of an outer robe with a dark-coloured tunic underneath, with some pants that were tightened by bands on her calves, which were similar to the bands of fabric that covered her forearms, making the clothes underneath her robes a lot less flowy and loose, which would come in hand if she had to fight some guards and run away over the rooftops, though during the daytime they'd likely be too constricting to wear, given the sweltering heat of the sun in the Fire Nation, not to even mention the humidity. She had a hood over her head, and kept her eyes down, trying not to look at the pedestrians that passed her by. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, which served no purpose other than to make her look like she was going to the market, which was just a little further down the street past the post office.</p><p>She kept her eyes focused on the few guards who she could see walking down the street; they were just on patrol, and she was sure they weren't the kind of people to be looking for her. After all, Ozai's plot involved hidden assassins and conspirators within the military, not the run-of-the-mill guards she'd encounter in the capital. She didn't, however, want to catch their attention, and continued to pace past them, and they didn't even think to address her, just quietly talking amongst themselves. Mai had thought herself lucky, until she was proven wrong when a voice addressed her, sounding unusually concerned.</p><p>"Girl, what are you doing walking out by yourself?" she heard one of them address her, and she turned her head around just enough so she could lock eyes with the guard who addressed her.</p><p>"Shouldn't I be able to do that if you do your jobs correctly?" she retorted, making his eyes widen, before he snickered, obviously realising she was correct in her judgement.</p><p>"We are doing our jobs." he assured her, "Just stay on the main streets." he added, "We've been getting reports of thieves and other undesirables running around." he warned, to which she raised her chin up, eyeing the guard and his comrades.</p><p>"Well, go find them. There's no point talking to me." she argued, before continuing on her way.</p><p>"Good night." one of them waved to her, and she rolled her eyes at the thought of their unnecessary conversation, knowing they couldn't see her.</p><p>She considered that perhaps they were trying to flirt with her; she couldn't be sure, but she didn't want to find out, given that she was focused solely on her mission. She knew what was at stake, and turned her eyes to the post office, noting the area where the messenger hawks sat, awaiting to be sent off at a moment's notice. The establishment was closed at that time of night, which was why she had gone when she had; though she could have just gone in and sent her messages publicly, she didn't have enough money to pay for the messages she sought to send, which were to go all the way to the Earth Kingdom. She eyed the front door, and wondered if she could break the lock open with her sai; she glanced back, and realised there were far too many pedestrians about. Even if it was nothing like the middle of the day, they'd clearly see her breaking in, so she needed to go find a place to enter that was out of sight.</p><p>Mai continued on past the front door, and noted an alleyway running along by the side of the post office; she glanced down in, just checking if there were any pedestrians, and to her luck, it was empty, at least for that moment. She didn't waste any time, and paced on down in with haste, eyeing up the side of the post office, trying to find any doors or windows she could go through to get inside and reach the messenger hawks. She saw a rear door by the end of the building, and noted that it was completely dark inside from what she could see through the small windows that sat along the exterior wall- none of them were big enough to fit a person, so she immediately chose to try her luck with breaking the lock of the door.</p><p>Sparing a moment to eye up and down the alleyway, she noted that she could hear voices down the alley, but couldn't see any people, which made her feel a little bit nervous. She didn't dare show it, and calmly reached into her robes to draw out her sai, and immediately jammed it into the lock. It was clearly well built, and she had to twist and turn the lock to loosen its hold on the door, before she swiftly kicked the door open, snapping the lock in the process. The sound was a little loud, but since she couldn't see anyone in the area, she just hoped nobody had heard it, or at least, not taken much note.</p><p>She stepped inside, and closed the door after her, eyeing around the dark room she found herself in. Glancing over to a shelf covered wall, she noted a large number of scrolls, presumably those sent to the post office to recipients who lived in the capital. She ignored them, knowing that she had no reason to go through the personal letters of people. Mai stopped herself, however, and took a moment to consider whether Ozai's assassins might have sent a message to the post office, given that it seemed, from Zuko's explanation about how he'd first learned of the assassination plot, that they were sending messages indirectly via places where there'd be less oversight from the Fire Nation government, who regularly checked messages going in and out of the palace, though she was sure Ozai found a way to send messages without Iroh finding out about them.</p><p>She knew that though some potential intelligence lay on the shelves before her, that was not her priority; she couldn't do much with such information given that Zuko no longer had his place in the palace as a Prince. If they could not use the evidence publicly against his father, it would only be useful to inform Azula or Iroh himself, and by the time the intelligence reached either royal, it might be out of date. Mai paced over to another door, pushing it open, and finding herself in what seemed like the foyer of the post office, where a desk sat along with a few cabinets, presumably filing away the personal information of customers so they could be clarified when they came to receive messages. Again, though it might be of use to her, it was not her priority; she continued forward, making her way toward the door that would lead her to the cages that housed the messenger hawks themselves.</p><p>Mai opened the door up, and glanced into the open-air cage area, and noted how she could see out onto the street, this was obviously a bit of a danger, so she crouched down and tried to use the birds as cover from potential onlookers. She eyed each of the cages, and found one relatively out of view from the street, and broke it open with a slash from her sai. The bird was a little surprised by her opening the cage, and she reached down into the bag that sat nearby, and pulled out some feed, which consisted of small, cut up and dried pieces of meat; she knew she had to keep the animal calm if she didn't want to alert anyone, so she offered it some of the meat in her palm, and it accepted it, taking a few bites to eat all of it. She then reached behind it, and opened up its letter holder; she drew one of her letters from her belt, and eyed it, remembering it was the one she wanted to send to Azula.</p><p>She just hoped that the contents of the letter would be easily understood; she could not directly tell the Princess of what her father had done and planned to do, as there was a reasonable chance of spies being on her ship. The other letter to Ty Lee was a whole lot more blunt, and she hoped that the Princess would understand her desire for her to meet the acrobat and read that other letter, which would give her the information she would need to declare Ozai a traitor beyond reasonable doubt, when the time came for that.</p><p>She placed the rolled up letter inside, and then gestured for the bird to climb onto her arm, which it did, with the incentive of getting a little bit more food which she held in her left hand. Once it was on her arm, she gave it the meat and strode over toward the releasing point, which considered of a small wooden thatch and platform, which she opened up, before drawing out a black ribbon she had hidden on her belt, which she tied to the holder, which would indicate the messages intended receiver to be a member of the royal family.</p><p>"Go." she told the animal, and it heeded her command, flying out of the hatch and out into the sky above the post office, before it began to soar out across the city; she let out a momentary smile, just glad she could finally tell her friend what was going on, albeit cryptically- she needed to know, of all people.</p><p>She immediately turned back around, and eyed the other birds, knowing she would need another to take her message to Ty Lee; the acrobat needed to know what was going on, and she needed to have information that would be of use to their mutual friend. Most importantly, Azula and her could do what she and Zuko couldn't, which was to track down the Fire Lord and ensure his safety. She opened up another cage, and once again reached down to pick up some of the dried meat, offering it to the bird; it made a squawk and she cringed, glancing back to see if anyone was looking her way. She didn't see anybody yet, and sighed with relief, before she gave the bird the meat, which it accepted without any further sounds.</p><p>She then reached back and placed her scroll into its holder, before offering her arm up, which the messenger hawk climbed onto, "Don't ruin this." she warned the bird with a cold whisper, despite being sure it couldn't understand her.</p><p>She then pulled out another ribbon, which had on it marked the name of the circus Ty Lee was working at; 'Shuzumu's Travelling Circus', and tied it to the bird's holder. Hopefully, the message would find its way to the circus quickly enough, and she wouldn't have to worry about the inevitable cover story for her and Zuko's disappearance reaching her. If it did, she was afraid that nothing would stop the acrobat from rightly sending a message to the nearest Fire Nation army exposing Ozai's treachery and forcing the Fire Lord and his brother into an open conflict. She took the messenger hawk over to the hatch, and placed it down, ready to send it off as soon as she opened the wooden hatch once more.</p><p>"You there!" she heard the sound of a voice calling in her direction, and she saw a man dressed in an outfit that indicated he was some kind of government worker, "What are you doing in there?!" he accusingly asked her from the other side of the bird cages, and she immediately moved to open the hatch.</p><p>"Go, fly!" she demanded of the bird, which squawked once more as she pushed it, and set off into the air; she turned around and saw that the man was opening the front door of the post office.</p><p>She knew she had little time, and immediately dashed back inside, before she ran back into the back room, closing the door behind her. Before the man could reach her, she pushed a small wooden cabinet in front of the door, jamming it shut; she knew he'd be able to walk around, but it would give her enough time to get out. She moved to the rear door which she had entered the post office through, and glanced out to hear the man shouting out for the guards. She pulled the hood she had over her head tighter, and just hoped that he hadn't gotten a good look at her face. If a bounty was made for her, she was sure that either her father or Ozai would realise quickly enough her identity and location, and people would come for her and Zuko.</p><p>She didn't want to get her mother and father involved, knowing that their closeness to Ozai might bring danger to their lives, either as hostages, or simply for the Prince to tie up loose ends to prevent them from coming to realise the reality of the situation. There was no holiday to Ember Island, there was only Ozai's machinations and his injured, beaten son, hiding in a warehouse as he feared for his life. She ran as fast as her feet could take her, and didn't stop to check for guards; she needed to get away from the post office, and back to the warehouse without the threat of being followed. She would probably tire herself out to avoid anyone from even getting a hint of their hideout, but that was the small price she would be willing to pay to avoid Zuko being found. He probably couldn't fight off some poorly trained guards in his condition, and that was less an insult toward his abilities but rather an indication of how close Ozai's assassins had gotten to killing him.</p><p>"Down the alleyway!" she heard the man's voice in the distance, and the sounds of footsteps coming after her; she immediately moved to turn to the left, knowing that the best place for her to go would be the night market- the pure number of people would allow her to hide in plain sight.</p><p>Mai slowed her pace down as she began to approach more people, and flicked her hood off, trying to blend in with the other market-goers; the light of paper lanterns made the street glow an orange hue, and though she could still hear the footsteps after her, it was quickly drowned out by the sound of people conversing amongst themselves. She glanced back, and saw six guards pacing down the street and recognised that they were the same ones she had talked to earlier; perhaps she could convince them by just acting like she had been at the market the whole time. She turned to face a stall that was selling meat skewers, and she stepped closer, deciding to go buy some as a cover.</p><p>"Hello, young lady, would you like to get yourself a skewer. Or two, maybe?"</p><p>"I want two." she confirmed, "One for myself," she began, drawing out some coins, "and one for my boyfriend. He's come down with a cold, so he couldn't come with me." she made two half-lies; Zuko wasn't really her boyfriend, even if her mother and father thought he was, and he wasn't actually sick, at least not with a cold.</p><p>"Oh, that's terrible." the stall owner made a conciliatory pout, before taking the coins into his hands, giving her two skewers in paper bags, "I hope he gets better soon."</p><p>"As do I. He needs to get back to work." she admitted; they needed to leave the capital sooner rather than later, and as soon as he was capable, they'd go and try and find work on a ship so they could get themselves to Shu Jing, or at least, somewhere further from the palace than the streets of the capital.</p><p>"Have a good night." he raised a hand to her, before gesturing down the street, "You could go to Lady Ganshi's stall. She sells herbs that might help with that cold."</p><p>"Oh." her eyes widened, realising that such a herbalist might be able to provide her with the kinds of things that would help Zuko tolerate his pain, and made it easier for them to leave the capital sooner, "Thank you." she made a simple bow of respect, before turning around, noting the guards who were walking past her, obviously looking for her.</p><p>"There's always something going on, isn't there?" the stall owner asked her, perhaps rhetorically.</p><p>"We live in a dangerous city." she warned him, before she paced after the guards, wanting to make sure she could keep an eye on them as to avoid their path; she would check with Lady Ganshi about her herbs, and with any luck, she'd return to Zuko without having any worries.</p><p>"They must be fast. How can we find somebody here?" she heard one of the guards lament, and she took a bite out of her meat skewer, before pursing her lips upward; she mightn't be as good as Zuko when it came to sneaking about, but she had a feeling she could brag a little when she came home with a skewer for him and her messages successfully sent.</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Hidden But Not Forgotten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>When Zuko saw his face, all those emotions he had felt that afternoon hit him again, but in a very different way. Iroh's reappearance, after months of no word from him, did not bring brightness to the young Prince's inner fire. The solemn look that his uncle had was completely understandable, and it only made his heart throb more; he knew he had been too angry, and not considerate enough of what his uncle had felt. Though the anger subsided, he hadn't really had a chance to process what had happened to his cousin, or more so, what had happened to his uncle.</em>
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  <em>Lu Ten was dead, so by virtue of that, he didn't have to deal with the consequences of the event itself; his father on the other hand, had to deal with it, all by himself on the other side of the world. He could imagine what would have happened well enough. His uncle lauded a hero of their nation, quite rightfully at that, cheering over the rubble of the Earth King's palace, when all he could probably think of was what had happened to his son.</em>
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  <em>What made him feel worse was when Iroh's eyes met his own, his expression shifted; he forced out a smile, and raised his hand to gesture for his Imperial Firebenders to move out of the way, "Prince Zuko." he simply addressed his nephew.</em>
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  <em>The sound of his voice was soothing and brought a small smile to his face, but it was not the same voice he was used to hearing; he wasn't sad, or even angry, but neither was he the hearty and kind uncle he knew. Prince Zuko, not knowing what else to do, slowly approached his uncle, who broke the gap by moving forward to hug him; the Prince clasped his hands around his uncle's back, and tried to hold back tears. Crying in front of the guards would be undignified for someone of his status; he had to act like a Prince, even in his own home.</em>
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  <em>"I missed you, Nephew." he told him with a softer voice than which he had spoken with before, and turned his face to smile at him, "I'm sorry I didn't come home sooner."</em>
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  <em>"No." he mumbled, before leaning back from their hug, straightening his posture, "You didn't need to." he assured him, knowing the kinds of thoughts he would have been dealing with- he was sad, and grieving, and even if it had been nearly a year since Lu Ten's death, he wouldn't have recovered quickly.</em>
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  <em>"You can all leave for the moment. I want to spend some time with my nephew, privately." he spoke to his guards, who bowed immediately.</em>
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  <em>"As you wish, your highness." one of them simply accepted his command, before raising a hand, gesturing for his men to step back while the two royals continued on down the hallway; Zuko could immediately tell from their location inside the palace that his uncle was returning from the throne room- he'd already spoken with the Fire Lord.</em>
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  <em>"Did Grandfather... say anything?" he asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.</em>
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  <em>"Well, he had some words to say." he acknowledged, not sounding very impressed as he spoke, "My father understands why I took my time away, and congratulated-" he began, before cutting himself off, turning his eyes away, "My victory." he added, sounding almost skeptical of the fact.</em>
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  <em>"You did... you did do it, Uncle." he admitted, knowing that even if it didn't compare to the loss he suffered, Ba Sing Se was theirs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." he nodded, before sighing, gesturing ahead of them, "Where did you want to go, Prince Zuko?"</em>
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  <em>"Wherever you do." he immediately responded, before scrunching his lips up, considering the place he was most likely to go without him, "The tea-room?"</em>
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  <em>"A brilliant choice." he grinned at him as he patted him on the shoulder, before he began to pace down the hallway, "Let's go have some fresh tea." he told the Prince, who followed right after his uncle.</em>
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  <em>"Uncle, are... can you tell me?" he asked him, trying to hide his nervousness as much as he could, his uncle glancing back his way with an uneasy look on his face.</em>
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  <em>"Do you mean, what happened?" he simply asked in return, and the young Prince nodded, "Well, I can." he confirmed, "It was a long siege, Nephew."</em>
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  <em>He nodded, knowing that his uncle had spent a long time away from home; the siege must have been a serious strain on him, something he could see through his uncle's clearly grayed hair- before the siege, it was graying, but now, he looked ten years older than what he really was. It made him look as old and wise as Zuko had always seen him to be, though he wouldn't wish such aging on anyone.</em>
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  <em>"It was." he agreed with him, before continuing on after his uncle, who turned at the corner to head down toward the tea-room, which was located beside one of the gardens inside the palace; the well-lit room sat out, distinguished from the rest of the dark, gloomy palace.</em>
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  <em>Iroh stepped inside, and eyed around, before he glanced out of the doorway, presumably checking for servants; he found one, who had been walking down the hallway with some linen in his hands. He realised that the two royals were looking at him, and immediately approached.</em>
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  <em>"Your highnesses." he bowed as much as he could, given what he was holding, "Did you need some assistance?"</em>
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  <em>"Uh, if you could fetch a tea-server while you're on your way to... uh, my niece's bedroom, I presume." he guessed where the servant was going, and his eyes widened, before nodding.</em>
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  <em>"Yes, that is where I am going." he confirmed, "I'll go get a tea-server first, Prince Iroh." he assured him, before pacing off down the hallway.</em>
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  <em>"How'd you guess where he was going, Uncle?" Zuko asked, interested by his deduction skills.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, I just had a hunch. The sheets looked very glossy- I presume Azula has demanded finer bedsheets in my years away."</em>
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  <em>He nodded, knowing that to be a fact; Azula had asked their father to get her better sheets when she turned ten, probably because she knew they existed, and she was arrogant enough to ask for them.</em>
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  <em>"Um... yes." he confirmed, before glancing back into the tea-room, "So, are we going to sit?"</em>
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  <em>"Yes. My feet are getting sore from all this walking- sitting on a boat two weeks straight did not do my fitness any good." he joked, making the young Prince chuckle, finding it nice to enjoy a little humour, despite the circumstances.</em>
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  <em>The two royals sat themselves down at a table, across from each other, and the Prince didn't know what to say next; he knew that he wanted to know, or rather, he felt compelled to know, what his uncle had gone through. He knew himself, and knew how he could bottle up emotions and hide his fears, anger and sadness, though, in the case of Lu Ten's demise, he had been rather unrestrained, mostly because he simply didn't care. His father could have berated him all he liked, but that would not have changed how he felt. He wondered if his uncle had done the same, and so, he placed his hands up on the table, twiddling his fingers as he struggled to put his thoughts to words.</em>
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  <em>"Uncle." he muttered quietly, Iroh making a small smile at him.</em>
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  <em>"Yes, Nephew?" he asked him with open arms, "I assume you want to say something instead of sitting there silently."</em>
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  <em>"The siege." he put his thoughts as succinctly as he could, "Could you tell me... how it all happened?"</em>
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  <em>"I spent more than a year and a half just to break through the Outer Wall." he acknowledged, the Prince nodding.</em>
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  <em>"I remember." he acknowledged, before making a small smile, reaching into his boot, where he had hidden the thing he associated with his uncle's victory at the walls, "You sent me this." he explained, showing him the ornate dagger he had been given.</em>
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  <em>"That I did." he nodded, before smirking, "So, I assume you liked your gift if you have it on you all the time."</em>
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  <em>Iroh had said in his letter at the time that it belonged to a general, and he was enamoured by it, though Azula, jealous of his gift, wanted it for herself; he thought that perhaps instead of giving her a doll, his uncle could have done that smart thing and gotten her something comparable- she was a great fighter after all.</em>
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  <em>"I did." he confirmed, "But maybe you should have gotten something more... suitable for Azula."</em>
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  <em>"Oh, did she-" he began, before sighing, "Oh, yes, the doll." he recalled, "Perhaps that wasn't the best choice. She would've liked a sword or something flashy like that, wouldn't've she?"</em>
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  <em>"Not that she can use one." he muttered under his breath, nodding before he glanced over toward the windows that looked out to the courtyard.</em>
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  <em>"Don't worry, Prince Zuko, I have a better gift in mind for the two of you." he spoke up, almost sounding a little giddy, which was in stark contrast to his prior tone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A gift?" he raised a brow, "What kind of gift?"</em>
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  <em>"Oh, I'll show it to you when you're older." he assured him, "There's things beyond this palace that you and your sister ought to see."</em>
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  <em>"I assume you're not talking about... the battlefield." he noted, his uncle nodding.</em>
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  <em>"I am not." he assured him, "There's more to the world than fighting, even if I've done it my whole life."</em>
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  <em>Zuko noticed a silence falling between them, and thought back to what they were actually discussing, "You must have been relieved once you got there." he guessed, hoping to keep his uncle's spirits up rather than letting him get too focused on his past, and the mistakes he might have thought he made.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was." he smiled at his nephew, before that expression faltered, obviously realising how naive he had been to feel that way, "But things changed after we won at the walls. It got worse... much worse, and this was long before the palace."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Earth Kingdom didn't realise they had lost." he guessed, "Even I know enough about strategy to say they should've surrendered when you took the walls."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I thought they would, but they were steadfast in holding us off. The Earth King's guards, the Dai Li, along with all the other usual soldiers, all of them working together to hold off my forces from overwhelming the streets of the city and forcing their submission. Many perished in the fighting, and I was nearly killed by some sneaky Dai Li agents" he explained with a straight face, his tone and phrasing remaining Zuko had his uncle was a hardened general, and not just his jolly and kind uncle, "Lu Ten saved me, actually."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, he was always more cautious than you, Uncle." he argued, making the Dragon of the West chuckle, though his face was clearly saddened by the thought of his son.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He was. Lu Ten was good at fighting, and he helped command and lead the troops with me. If Azula was there, she probably would have derided me for letting my son do all the work." he acknowledged, "But he did well. All our troops did as good as they could. The normal soldiers did give up eventually, but that was after nearly two weeks of fighting in the Lower Ring. We knocked holes in the other walls, and marched for the palace. The Earth King's Guards made a last stand... it was quite noble, actually, and I personally faced them. We fought for a number of hours on the pavilions of the Earth King's Palace, and when we came to take the King prisoner..." he explained, his tone becoming more anguished as he spoke; Zuko raised his hand up, not wanting him to continue if it was to cause him too much grief.</em>
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  <em>"Uncle... you don't need to say the next- what..." he tried to assure him, before he dropped his head down, only having his imagination to work with- that was where his cousin had died, and he didn't even know if he could face the facts.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, Zuko, it's alright... I'm- well, I was shocked at the time, because there was nobody there, or even a throne room at al. Your cousin and a number of other soldiers had come around to flank the palace and capture him, but I was faced with... ruins. Hundreds of soldiers died, and a good number of Dai Li too. The rest..." he began, before turning away, closing his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks, "I can't forgive myself for what I did."</em>
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  <em>"Did they even try to surrender?" he asked, the Dragon of the West shaking his head.</em>
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  <em>"My men were furious... I was furious, and in that moment, which I thought I'd be celebrating victory, I only could taste smoke and ashes." he explained with a sad, dejected tone, "How... why... I don't know, but we fought, and there was no Earth King. There was no great prize, no wealth and jewels- it all burned."</em>
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  <em>"Great-grandfather Sozin, he did what he thought was right... no matter how brutal he was." he spoke up, remembering what he had been told about the Air Nomads, both by his father and by his tutors- an air of inevitability always seemed to permeate the discussions, and he could only hope that the people his uncle and cousin had faced were at the very least deserving of their fate, "These Dai Li, they can't have been good people, could've they?"</em>
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  <em>"I was told things by my intelligence reports." he admitted, "Terrible, terrible things. The kinds of things that make bile rise in my throat. It's one thing to kill a man, or to rob him of his things." he acknowledged, before taking a deep breath, "it's another, to break him."</em>
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  <em>"Break? Like their bones?"</em>
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  <em>"Oh, if only they were that kind." he sighed, "Though they are good fighters... what happened that day told me enough, it's not their physical strength that makes them so terrible." he warned him, "The broke people's minds, and made them slaves- not with chains of steel, but with words. I don't know exactly how... but, I don't even want to think. There could be hundreds, if not thousands in Ba Sing Se, even right now, with their minds muddled and under the control of those fiends."</em>
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  <em>"What are we going to do about it, Uncle?" he asked him, knowing that sitting idly by while his cousin's heinous killers could still be undermining their rule- disgracing his uncle's victory, "You- no, we can't stand for it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Prince Zuko, there's no need to fuss about the Dai Li." he assured him, obviously noticing the young Prince's anger, "If they had wanted to take back what was theirs, they would have killed me and my men after what we did at the palace. They're obviously just waiting... like any good strategists do. Neutral jing." he raised a finger, making the Prince sigh, remembering when that concept was last mentioned to him.</em>
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  <em>"Is this going to become a strategy tutorial?" he lamented, not wanting to have to deal with another of those, given how frustratingly enthusiastic his father happened to be on quizzing him about it, and then chiding him when it inevitably made mistakes- he wasn't anywhere near as good as his uncle when it came to strategy, and he was sure it would take a long time to reach his genius.</em>
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  <em>"No, no, my nephew." he assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We're here for tea."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's taking a while." he glanced past his uncle, noting that a tea-server was yet to arrive.</em>
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  <em>"Well, we'll just have to sit here and look at the garden while we wait." he suggested, turning his gaze to the aforementioned garden, smiling as he eyed the serene display of trees, bushes, flowers, stones and ponds.</em>
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  <em>"It's just a garden, Uncle." he noted, making the Dragon of the West give out a hearty chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, Nephew. Nothing is just what it seems. Look closer, what do you see?"</em>
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  <em>"A philosophy lesson." he guessed, making his uncle raise a finger.</em>
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  <em>"Just look. Tell me, what first comes to mind?"</em>
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  <em>He blankly looked toward the garden, and spoke the first word that came to mind, "Quiet."</em>
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  <em>"It is quiet. Do you like it?"'</em>
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  <em>"Uh, I guess." he shrugged his shoulders, "I prefer quiet over the sounds of annoying servants." he noted, making his uncle smirk.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I do too. The quiet lets you appreciate its beauty even more." he acknowledged, "Without noise, without distraction, the true beauty reveals itself."</em>
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  <em>He glanced back over to the garden, and noted a few turtle ducks swimming in a nearby pond, and noted how they were all being led along by the mother turtle duck. They were cute, but they also reminded him of a little family, though one that seemed rather different to his own. He didn't know his mother, and the scant memories were kind, but they weren't enough. He wondered if she liked to look at beautiful things too. Beyond those thoughts, the kind he wanted to push away, he found a certain kind of longing for what he could see, yet couldn't have. It was a kind of peace and tranquility, and not the kind his grandfather spoke of when he told them of his aim to defeat the Earth Kingdom; a purer, kinder form, that didn't need to arise from the fighting his family loved.</em>
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  <em>"Peace is beautiful" he acknowledged rather simply, before turning his eyes to his uncle, remembering what he had faced, and what he had inadvertently achieved- it was the thing they had sought out for a hundred years, and his uncle had claimed it, "Does that make it any better?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Peace?" he raised a brow, his eyes showing a glint of fear, "Not yet." Iroh acknowledged with a slightly nervous voice, before shaking his head, his warm smile more reassuring than ever, "Don't worry about me, Prince Zuko. I have already seen the path ahead."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Hundreds of tents lay before her, and Prince Azula knew that she was as far east as her tank train could take her. The Fire Nation military was laying siege to Omashu, the city which her uncle had intended to reach when he left the Fire Nation capital; he obviously didn't expect all the dangers he faced on the way, but he had overcome them, and now, together, they could work together to achieve the peace he wanted for their nation. Whatever disagreements she held with his ideas, she tried to keep them to herself, though she struggled at times; not having him standing there beside her was actually a boon in one way. He couldn't distract her when she had to use her best skill against an unwitting enemy; not her firebending, but her words. She could lie better than anyone she knew, and she did so with no remorse, and that day would be no different; she had a very good reason to keep her uncle hidden, and so, she would, for his sake, and for the sake of their country.</p><p>Though she knew she might have the potential to be the Fire Lord, given her father's treasonous actions, she didn't want her uncle to perish; he did not deserve it, and she was sure, given his cryptic words and vague intentions, had things to tell her still. Perhaps not to do with her father, but with her destiny itself; she was set on becoming his heir, and she would serve him with duty and honour, like she wished she could have her father. She knew that he was mistaken in his actions, and she could only dream of a world where he was more wise; his desire for the throne knew no bounds, and it was to be his undoing. She felt no guilt in knowing that she would have to go against him, if only for the heinous thing he had attempted. She might have respected his wishes if he had fought Iroh in an Agni Kai, but to send assassins after him was utterly despicable.</p><p>So, as she stood there with her hands behind her back, and her Imperial Firebenders flanking her, she could only wonder if her appearance was as perfect as she wished it to be; she could not be disappointing to look at. She was a Princess after all, and if she strode and spoke like one, she had to look like one too.</p><p>She turned her gaze to her men, and gestured for them to follow, "Let's get this over and done with." she decided, "You know what to say if you are asked about him, right?"</p><p>"That we are seeking his assassins, your highness." one of her guards assured her, "We haven't found his majesty yet. We are here to find the Avatar."</p><p>"Correct." she pursed her lips upward, before noting the very fact her guards' faces were covered by their intimidating helmets, preventing anyone from seeing their expressions, "Do those help you lie?"</p><p>"Yes." one of them assured her, making her snicker, unsure whether that itself was a lie.</p><p>"Well, they do work." she noted, before turning her heels, "Heads up, tongues held, and by the spirits, if one of you dare mention the Avatar leaving my grasp, I will have you clean the Fire Lord's peasant disguise by hand. Got it?"</p><p>They all nodded, their tense stances telling her that they were all disgusted by the idea of having to complete her threatened chore, and she pursed her lips upward; she truly had mastered the art of intimidation, and despite being only fourteen, her formidable bending abilities meant that she had a considerable bite to her bark, not to mention the authority of being Princess. Where she was intending on going, however, she wouldn't have the privilege and respect usually afforded to her, only the skills and reputation she had earned by capturing the Avatar herself.</p><p>The soldiers present in the camp all looked her way, and she could tell from their expressions that they knew exactly who she was; Azula was not someone to be trifled with, and perhaps, messages from the fight by the navy port had come around. She had been defeated, but that very fact ought to make people afraid; she wasn't going to stop until she destroyed the assassins, or at least, that was what they'd think considering the Fire lord still was missing. She did want to destroy them, but she knew that was beyond her grasp and intentions at that moment; getting into Omashu, and then tracking Aang and his friends down were her present aims, and if she happened to run into the assassins, or rather, they chased her down, she would give them a piece of her mind.</p><p>Quickly enough, she made sight of the command tent, with its flags and golden trimmings, and momentarily wondered if that was the kind of place her uncle used to work, planning battle strategies against their enemies in the Earth Kingdom. Those thoughts were pushed away as she forced a straight, serious face; she had to act like her uncle's life was still in danger, and she had yet to find him. A few guards strode out of the tent, probably seeing her coming, and their expressions shifted to ones of surprise as they glanced back inside.</p><p>"Sir!" one of them called out, "Somebody's here to see you."</p><p>"What..." she heard a grumbling, frustrated voice from inside, "I'm in the middle of-" the voice grew louder as the figure approached the opening of the tent, glancing out to see that it was Princess Azula, not just some random soldier, standing at his tent, "Y-your highness."</p><p>"General Zhiying?" she raised a brow, sure that was his name, having remembered him from one of the war meetings her father had made her come to; in hindsight, those meetings were going to be very helpful in future, given she would need to earn the trust of those military officials in the worst case scenario that her uncle and father began to openly fight for the right to the throne.</p><p>"Uh, yes, that's my name." he confirmed, before straightening his expression as he stepped out of the tent, "Did you require something of me? It's not everyday that a Prince or Princess shows up at my camp here."</p><p>"You're commanding the western forces, I assume?" she asked him, the General nodding, "Well, that's good. I have been hunting the Avatar, and I am in need of some basic supplies and some clothes requisitioned in your local prison."</p><p>"Clothes from-" he began, sounding confused by what she was saying, "Did you need some disguises?" he asked, the Princess nodding, "Are you going on a stealth operation in Omashu?" he asked once more, and she pursed her lips upward.</p><p>"Quite attentive, aren't you?" she quipped, before crossing her arms, "Yes. I will be leaving my servants and tank-train here, because it poses too much of a hazard while I approach the city."</p><p>"The Avatar was spotted flying over this area about two days ago, so I can see why you've come here." the General conceded, "He's likely in the city as we speak, collaborating with the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>"That does not surprise me, General." she assured him, before gesturing to her men, "My guards here will go and collect the disguises, so if you could have someone guide them to wherever they're being stored." she explained, Zhiying nodding, before he glanced into the tent.</p><p>"Captain Chen!" he called into the tent, and a few moments later a young officer strode out, immediately bowing towards Azula as he realised she was standing there.</p><p>"Your highness." he deferred to her, the General gesturing to his right.</p><p>"Go take the Princess's Imperial Firebenders to the storage areas. They need to use some disguises for an operation."</p><p>"Of course, sir. Right on it." he stressed, before striding past him, glancing back toward the Princess's guards, "Uh, you can just follow right after me." he suggested, the guards all looking toward their leader.</p><p>"Well, go. I'm sure the camp is safe enough for me." she assured them, "Plus, I would beat anybody who tried to assassinate me." she added, which seemed to make the General nervous.</p><p>As her guards walked away, Zhiying gestured into his tent, "Would you like to uh... have some tea? It would be a grave dishonour for a Princess to not be treated with such respect."</p><p>"That is expected of you, General." she nodded, before stepping through the opening in the canvas, noting the long table that sat inside the tent where she assumed he and his officers would discuss their battleplans.</p><p>Inside, there were a number of guards standing station, clearly ready to protect the general's life, and she could see a teapot sitting already cooked on the table in front of her; perhaps he was having tea with Captain Chen, though she couldn't really be sure of it.</p><p>He gestured to a spot close to where they were standing, "Please, sit. I am sure you are tired after your long journey here." he suggested, and she moved to do just that, while he walked around the table to sit on the opposite side.</p><p>Sitting herself down, she glanced along the table, and noted the few maps that were already sitting there, indicating the topography of the local area, the location of a few settlements, as well as the location of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation forces. The General picked up the teapot, and poured two cups of fresh tea, which she would admit smelled quite delicious.</p><p>"So... your highness, how does your search for the Fire Lord fare? I heard about some fight to the west of here." he acknowledged, "His majesty might be in some danger out in the wilderness by himself."</p><p>"He is." she agreed with his assumption, though she felt a little uneasy as to how he had brought up the topic; whether his interest was out of the loyalty he held as a soldier to his monarch, or due to more ulterior motives, she could not be certain, "As soon as I have taken the Avatar, I will go and find my uncle. He is a strong and wise man, so I don't expect him to be lying around starving in a forest. He's probably trying to find a way back to the protection of his loyal military forces." she explained, putting a little emphasis on the 'loyal'.</p><p>The General picked up his teacup, and smiled, "Well, we can only hope he is in good health. It would be a great loss for our nation if he were to perish out there. Such a great leader would be dishonoured by such an undignified demise."</p><p>"It would be undignified." she agreed with him, before sipping from her own cup, "How has the campaign fared?" she asked him, knowing that small-talk might help her get some more intelligence on the current state of affairs, which would be useful in deciding what exactly to do next.</p><p>"Fire Lord Azulon's last campaign is soon to be over, your highness." he assured her, "The Earth Kingdom, no matter how strong their walls and defiant their men might be, will not hold on forever."</p><p>"It took us decades to take Ba Sing Se, General. Are you really confident this victory will come so much easier?" she asked him; she didn't really know how skilled the General was, but she wanted to see how he'd react to such a denial of his capabilities.</p><p>"Omashu is no Ba Sing Se." he raised his left hand up, "The enemy will fall sooner or later, and it will only take one slip up for us to corner their forces and take away whatever strength they have left."</p><p>"There are hundreds of men surrounding this city at any given moment, from what I last heard. Has anybody had a chance to escape?"</p><p>"Refugees have tried to flee, and we've stopped them from doing so." he clarified, "The worse their conditions become, the more uneasy the populace will be. They might just let us in once they realise they're doomed."</p><p>"Oh, that would be a brilliant end to our war, wouldn't it? The enemy dejectedly opening their gates and throwing themselves at our feet, hoping for an inch of mercy."</p><p>"We are not here to massacre a whole city, your highness." he assured her, "We aren't the Rough Rhinos."</p><p>"And they aren't the Air Nomads." she quipped in return, "Your soldiers might find it rather challenging to deal with aggrieved peasants throwing stones at you." she warned him, before eyeing the men that stood around them in the tent, "That's why you've got all these men, isn't it?"</p><p>"Yes, it is." he confirmed, "I can't have myself being attacked when I have to lead my men to victory." he stressed, before sipping from his tea cup once more.</p><p>"Have you received any orders from my father? He is Interim Fire Lord, after all." she decided to ask, hoping the General might have a shred of honesty.</p><p>"Prince Ozai sent me and the other generals a warning about the Avatar, and mentioned you might be coming this way." he explained, "And you are here. So, your father presumed right." he conceded, the Princess nodding.</p><p>"That he did." she confirmed, feeling a little concerned as to what else her father knew, or could deduce; if he knew where she was going, he might come to realise Iroh was with her.</p><p>She sipped down the last of the tea in her cup, before she rose up to her feet, "Well, I need to go get my disguises on and make sure my men are ready. We'll be leaving as soon as possible, and will make our trip with haste. If I do not return, then I assume you might send a warning to my father, but trust me, I will not let those savages take me captive."</p><p>"Earthbenders are dangerous, your highness." he warned her, "Are you sure you don't want a military escort... at the very least out to the valley surrounding the city?"</p><p>"No." she shook her head, "I have all the strength I could possibly need. Good luck, General. May your efforts lead to victory." she gave him a pleasantry, and with that, he rose to his feet and bowed.</p><p>"Good luck, your highness. I am sure you will come back with the master of the elements in chains." he bid her farewell, the Princess turning her heels, noting the General's guards moving right out of her way, and bowing toward her in deference.</p><p>She held her chin up high as she walked out, wanting to seem like she was more aloof and arrogant than she actually was; in fact, she was in a very uneasy and nervous mood, knowing that Zhiying's men could find out about her uncle's presence. Though she didn't think the General was in league with her father, she couldn't be too cautious; if the assassins found out about Iroh's presence, then it was more than likely that they'd be in danger once they left the safety of the camp once more. Though a whole army could stop the powerful assassin with the most absurd, extreme ability of making explosions with his mind, if it was just her guards and Iroh, she didn't know how well they would fare, given how many assassins her uncle had spoken of when he told her about the battle at the beach, where his men had gotten away, but only barely.</p><p>Though the distance between the General's tent and the tank-train wasn't very far, the haphazard positioning of tents meant that her path was longer than she would have liked, though it was very easy to know where she was going. The dark and massive machine stood out like a sore thumb amongst the smaller tents, and she was able to quickly reach it, given her steady pace. She was not interested in basking in the looks of awe she might get from the soldiers, but was rather concerned about one thing, and one thing only: making sure her uncle was still hidden.</p><p>When she got to the tank-train, she saw a number of the engineers who worked onboard checking the exterior, making sure the wheels were working and undamaged from their long drive to Omashu. She couldn't see Iroh anywhere, let alone any snooping soldiers, and that relieved her; she strode over to the carriage in which she had her personal quarters, where one of her Imperial Firebenders was stationed, as she had told him to be.</p><p>"Your highness." he simply acknowledged her, before opening the door for her, the Princess stepping past to look into the well-lit and rather extravagant carriage, which had a luxurious look to it that seemed rather out of place, given the appearance of the vehicle.</p><p>Upon looking inside, she saw her uncle, sitting by the small table that sat in the centre of the room, eating a bowl of roast duck; of course, he was having lunch, because he couldn't help himself. Once he noticed her arrival, he gave her his usual warm smile, and raised a hand.</p><p>"Ah, Niece. Was your meeting with the general productive?"</p><p>"Yes." she nodded, before knocking on the wall, the guard closing the door for her at once, "We'll be getting disguises, and then we can be on our way. I don't know exactly how I'm going to hide you from the peering eyes out there, but I'm sure you've been thinking about that yourself."</p><p>"I have an idea, but you mightn't like it." he spoke up, the Princess sighing, sitting herself down across from him.</p><p>"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can understand your idea, Uncle." she assured him, "Who do you take me for, Zuko?"</p><p>"Well, do you like the idea of me pretending to be your attendant?" he asked her, the Princess cringing at the thought.</p><p>"Even as a joke, that's extremely denigrating to your station as Fire Lord." she warned him, "Why would you do that? Can't you just sneak around like any normal person?"</p><p>"Where to?" he raised his hands up, "I don't see a clear path out of this camp where I'm not going to be spotted."</p><p>"Urgh." she sighed, "Well, at least there's a chance not everyone will recognise you." she conceded, before glancing toward the teapot on the table, "So were we going to have tea?"</p><p>"I thought we were getting ready to go." he narrowed his eyes, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>"The Imperial Firebenders have to go retrieve our disguises, so they'll be a little longer." she suggested, before reaching over to the cup that was on her side of the table, flipping it over.</p><p>"Well, I'm glad you've come to like tea, my niece." he beamed at her, pouring her a cup before he refilled his own, "It can help you calm down before we leave."</p><p>"It's something to distract me while you come up with a plan to hide that isn't absurd."</p><p>"I can pretend to be a Princess's attendant, Niece." he assured her, "I've done more denigrating things in my time."</p><p>"Like what, Uncle?" she quipped in return, and though she wasn't actually expecting an answer, he was willing to indulge her with an anecdote.</p><p>"Once, when I was around your age, I snuck out of the palace to go to the Winter Solstice Festival." he explained, "I had to disguise myself as a palace cleaner so I could leave, given all the catacomb entrances were blocked back then. People thought I was coming to sweep the streets when I showed up, and they had no idea I was the Crown Prince." he explained, before chuckling, "I ended up playing a pipa to incite people to dance."</p><p>"Did that even work?" she asked him, the Fire Lord chuckling.</p><p>"Well, you see, the young people had been told dancing was bad, so they were all too shy to dance, but a bunch of old folks, probably older than my father at the time, they were more than willing to get on and party. Then the young people joined in, and we all had a great time."</p><p>"Well, you sound like you would have preferred being a tea-brewing musician and not a general." she concluded, making her uncle chuckle.</p><p>"Oh, well, I was pushed by circumstance to go down the path of becoming a general, but I think I did a good job." he argued, the Princess rolling her eyes.</p><p>"You conquered Ba Sing Se. I'm sure that qualifies you as the most accomplished general in history."</p><p>"Perhaps." he smirked, before raising his hands, "I don't feel like that was my greatest achievement."</p><p>"What... seriously?" she raised a brow, "Then what was?"</p><p>"Well, if we end up getting back to the Fire Nation Capital, you'll get to see it for yourself." he cryptically suggested.</p><p>"If I'm a master of lying then you're a master of avoiding things, Uncle. Are you a firebender or an airbender?" she quipped, making her uncle snicker; he raised his teacup up, with a proud smile on his face.</p><p>"I take inspiration from all the elements, Azula. You'll just have to wait and see what I can do."</p><hr/><p>"How much does it hurt?"</p><p>Zuko straightened his back and held a tough face for Mai, knowing that they had to leave; their messages were sent, and his burns were becoming tolerable. He could stand without much pain, and if he could stand, he could walk too. Most of his bruising and pain was centered around his arms, not his legs, which meant he was probably going to be able to get down to the port with little issue.</p><p>"We can go, Mai." he assured her, knowing that despite her stoic tone, she was concerned about his safety; he was a danger if he couldn't run, hide and do all the other kinds of things they might have to do, given their circumstances as fugitives.</p><p>Mai breaking into the post office was necessary, but he was sure that the guards were looking for her, and that's why she was intent on getting out; she might have said she wanted to wait until he was healed, but he could read past that. She tapped her fingers on the windowsill all morning, and was constantly looking out, checking for guards, even though she hadn't done so on prior days. He was afraid too, and though he knew it would be better to wait out until he was completely capable to run, fight, climb and do all the things he knew he could do with a normal body; he didn't know if any of his injuries were permanent, but time would tell.</p><p>"The last thing we want to do is get caught, Zuko." she warned him, the Prince grimacing at the thought of having to face his father once again.</p><p>"Y-yeah... I don't want to be anywhere near my father, especially without Uncle's help." he acknowledged, "He's probably the only one who can solve all this."</p><p>"Well, we're not going to get any closer to him if we just wait in this warehouse." she retorted, making the Prince chuckle, knowing her observation to be true.</p><p>He pulled himself up from the crate he had been sitting on, and strode over toward the slightly ajar doors ahead of them, able to hear the sound of people walking on the street in the distance; they were going to exit on the opposite side, but that didn't mean they'd be completely safe, avoiding guards at all costs would be their aim, and with any luck, they'd reach the port quickly enough. Mai had already traced a path for them, having figured one out on her numerous outings while he was recovering in the warehouse. He pulled the ajar door along its rollers, allowing him to get a look out into the alleyway which was well lit, given it was nearly midday. His legs weren't hurting as he moved them, so he was confident enough to turn back and face her with a smirk.</p><p>"I'm ready, and the alley's clear." he assured her, Mai moving closer to him, eyeing him intently; he wondered if she was going to say something, but she just leaned over and grasped the door-handle, before pulling it further open, allowing her to step past him.</p><p>"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get moving?" she rhetorically questioned him, the Prince immediately striding on after her, pulling the cloak he had on around his shoulder up and over his head, Mai doing the same as she quickly paced on down the alleyway toward the intersection, where he could already see people.</p><p>"How well do you know the guard's routes?" he asked her, Mai gesturing to the street ahead of them.</p><p>"They like to make rectangular areas of control, and loop around them. As long as we know where the boundaries are, we can be sure we're not about to run into them." she simply explained her knowledge on the matter, the Prince nodding, glad that she had spent all the time she had observing the guards movements.</p><p>"But what about Ozai's men?"</p><p>"If they find us, they'll follow us. If anybody follows us down a narrow alley, we'll beat them to a pulp. Well, I assume that's what you'd do."</p><p>"Knock them out... but yeah." he confirmed her suspicions, though he wasn't feeling inclined to kill anybody, even if he was completely capable of doing it; the danger his father's goons posed to them was great enough that he might have to do it, but he would do everything in his power to avoid it- Prince Zuko did not take anyone's lives lightly, not even that of his own father, who he knew to be intent on taking his own, or at the very least, intent on keeping him silent.</p><p>Continuing on down the alleyway, he kept his pace aligned with Mai's, who was understandably quick in her step; she was probably more concerned about getting caught than about his frequent aches and pains, and he was too. The hurting was something that would end quickly enough, but being dragged back to the palace after his identity was found out was something he couldn't stop if he was caught. They momentarily stopped at the end of the alleyway, and she gestured to their right, pointing towards another alleyway.</p><p>"They patrol this street." she warned him, before stepping forward, "Let's cross."</p><p>And with that, they did, and he glanced down the street, noting there were a few commoners walking along the street, though they took no mind of the pair. Zuko was glad that at the very least his attire was drab and inconspicuous, and it wouldn't catch him any attention. Mai had already gotten him some new clothes, which covered his body loosely, not tugging on his burns and bruises too much, and though they weren't of the best quality, they were better than the burnt and tattered clothes he had been wearing after the explosion. They covered his burns and bruises well, and though his face had a few cuts and bruises, he could talk it up as being the result of a bar fight or something of the likes; sailors would believe that, of all people.</p><p>He and Mai didn't slow down, and quickly paced  down the alleyway, and Zuko thought back to what she had told him about; if the guards were always following certain paths, that meant that they'd have to do a fair amount of weaving about the streets to avoid being spotted. He didn't think that they'd likely get any immediate attention, but the threat of Ozai's men remained. If they were as omnipresent as he feared, they could be waiting around the streets for the pair, knowing them to be alive, despite whatever vacation they had appeared to have gone on.</p><p>As they made their way down the alleyway, Mai suddenly came to a halt, and he tapped her on the shoulder, unsure why she had stopped, "Mai?"</p><p>she remained silent for a few moments, before she leaned over to pick something up; Zuko stepped to her side, and he realised what she was looking at; it was a tattered, but clearly distinguishable wanted poster, and plastered right on it was the same Dark Water Spirit mask he wore when he snuck around the capital- he had abandoned it at the hideout, given the damage it had sustained, and easily figured out why there was a wanted poster on the ground.</p><p>"The Blue Spirit. Wanted for espionage and for conspiracy against the life of Prince Ozai." he read out the charges out loud, and didn't read out the bit of writing below it, though he could clearly see it.</p><p>His father was perfectly fine with people capturing him dead or alive, and though he had the clear excuse of marking the so-called 'Blue Spirit' as an enemy of the state without anyone realising that it was his very own son. Zuko was pretty sure he had a degree of legal immunity and privilege as a Prince, but that wouldn't stop his father from having him chained up in some dark part of the palace.</p><p>Mai threw it away, and she grasped him by the hand, refusing to look his way, "Let's just keep moving, Zuko."</p><p>"He has to know we're alive and around here if he's ordering these posters to be made." he concluded, the stoic girl turning her eyes to meet his own, even if only for a moment.</p><p>"And?" she rhetorically asked him, before she continued along, suggesting that such a conclusion was obvious; it was, but he didn't really want to think it to be true- the more danger they were apparently in, the more nervous he became.</p><p>He kept his pace steady moving along behind her, noting how the alleyway meandered about with the differing shapes of the plots that surrounded it, with walls, clothes-lines and balconies interspersed about, making him feel a little uneasy as he realise how many angles they could be seen from. He pulled his cloak over his head a little tighter, and eyed ahead, knowing that the local guards were the real threat, not nosy residents in the houses lining the alleyway.</p><p>When they reached the end of the alleyway, Zuko noted the well that sat in the middle of the small courtyard they had reached, where a few commoners were sitting and chatting, eating their lunches. He turned his gaze away, not wanting to get their attention on him, and continued after Mai, who took no interest in them. She turned down another alleyway, down which he could see another major street, where there happened to be a lot of pedestrians; he continued after her, and wondered if they were going to stop again at the street. They did, and he glanced up and down its length, not seeing any guards.</p><p>"They're not here. Maybe we should just blend in with the crowd." he suggested, Mai nodding, before suddenly she was thrown forward, nearly face-planting onto the street; he immediately reached down to help her up, and she whacked his hand away at once.</p><p>"What's wrong?" he asked her, before glancing up, realising that a man had dashed past them, and was running down into the other alleyway, with her bag over his shoulder; the bag that contained their food, most of Mai's weapons, and the few coins they'd been able to scrounge up.</p><p>"Burn his face off for me, won't you?" she asked, the Prince clenching his fists as he decided on a course of action; though chasing down a thief was clearly not a smart idea, he knew they needed their things, and Mai wasn't as fast as him, despite his injuries.</p><p>"If I can walk, I can run." he decided, before dashing across the busy street, weaving past people as he made his way into the other alleyway, keeping his eyes set on the thief, who turned to the right, presumably down another alley.</p><p>Once he reached the corner, he turned down it, and noticed that the thief was climbing up onto a balcony, presumably so he could get up and away via the roof. Zuko sighed with frustration, knowing that he'd have to go up after him; he did, and he grunted with pain as he felt his arm muscles stretch and tense as he gripped the railing to pull himself up to the balcony.</p><p>"Shit, this kid's fast." he heard the thief gasp out, clearly worried about Zuko's agility; if it weren't for his burns, he would've already tackled the thief and gotten their things back.</p><p>He reached up the eaves of the roof, and pulled himself up onto the tiled roof, watching as the thief continued to run away, making his way along the undulating slopes of the roof. He ran on after him, climbing up to the top of the sloping roof, before he aimed his fist toward the thief, knowing he could trip him with a well-placed fireball. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in three days, he bent his element, creating a small, concentrated ball of flames which coursed forward, hitting the thief on his right calf and forcing him to trip over. The sound of his head and upper body slamming into the roof tiles was that of the ceramic tiles breaking, which made the Prince cringe guiltily, not really wanting to hurt the thief- he just wanted the bag back, after all.</p><p>Zuko dashed toward him, quickly enough, he saw that the thief was about to roll off of the roof; he skid with his heels to slow himself as he neared the ledge, reaching a hand out to offer it to the thief, who was clearly surprised to see him offering help. He was dangling over the eaves, looking out onto the street, where dozens of people began to look at them both; Zuko was worried the guards would know where he was at that point, but he knew he needed his things back.</p><p>"Th-thanks." the man acknowledged Zuko's hand as he accepted it, allowing the prince to pull him up onto the roof, "Why did you help me?"</p><p>"Because you're just a thief. It's not like you were trying to kill me." he conceded, before pulling the bag off of the thief's shoulder, "Why'd you steal from us?"</p><p>"Because I'm hungry." he admitted, "Work doesn't pay enough." he simply put his situation to words, and the young Prince felt a shred of guilt; perhaps his family wasn't doing enough for the people of their country, if they were poor enough to resort to stealing to feed themselves.</p><p>He reached into the bag, and tossed a fruit to the thief, who grasped it at once, "Could you do me a favour?" he asked him, the thief nodding.</p><p>"Uh- yeah, since you're not going to beat me up." he agreed to his proposition, the Prince gesturing out across the city, toward the port.</p><p>"Do you know any ships that will accept people without documentation?"</p><p>"The ships bringing things from the colonies usually don't have issue with anyone leaving the homeland. People coming in is another thing." he explained, before narrowing his eyes, "Are you on the run?"</p><p>"Yeah, pretty much." he confirmed, before eyeing the people down on the street below them, "You better get going before the guards go after you." he warned him, pacing back up the slope of the roof, the thief nodding.</p><p>"Thanks... uh, do you have a name?"</p><p>"No, no I don't." he refused to answer his question, and climbed over to the other side of the roof, making his way down the opposite slope to the alleyway he and been in a few moments earlier; he first climbed down onto a balcony, before he jumped down to the ground.</p><p>The force of his feet colliding with the ground made his knees buckle, and he fell down, crying out in pain, before he slowly pulled himself back up.</p><p>"Zuko, that was pretty dumb." he heard Mai's monotone voice address him, "Why'd you save him, you could have just got the bag." she noted, suggesting that she had followed after them and watched from the ground.</p><p>"He gave some good advice. We need to find a ship that's come from the colonies." he explained, "They won't care about people leaving the capital. They might even think we're exiles." he suggested, the stoic girl raising a brow.</p><p>"Okay, well, that's nice and all, but we have to get out of here before-" she began, before turning around, hearing the same footsteps he had; it was a pair of guards, clearly confused by the chase they might have seen on the roof.</p><p>"What were you doing? You, long hair guy!" one of the guards pointed to Zuko, who remembered that his phoenix-tail was down at that moment, meaning that his hair was flowing down onto his back and chest.</p><p>"Come on, long hair guy, we need to run." Mai mockingly referred to him, and with that the two of them dashed off away from the guards.</p><p>"Hey, stop running!" the other guard called out to them, clearly frustrated by their avoidance; the Prince could only hope their desire for information ended then and there as they dashed around the corner and bolted for the closest alleyway.</p><p>He and Mai ran as fast as either of them could, and though Zuko's legs were hurting, he didn't dare slow down; when they reached the next main street, he gestured to their left, immediately noticing the passing of people in the area- he assumed it had to be a market. She understood his intentions, and pulled her cloak over her head, and dropped her bag down, as if she were ready to fill it with produce.</p><p>"Let's go shopping, Zuko." she whispered to him, and with that, he loosened his posture, and strode along beside her, moving into the crowds that surrounded the numerous stalls.</p><p>"Could I get a hair band out of the bag?" he asked her, making her eye him for a moment, before she scoffed.</p><p>"So now you're self-conscious about your appearance." she noted, making him roll his eyes.</p><p>"I was in a daze for a few days, and I could barely walk." he argued, "You can't blame me for that."</p><p>"I wasn't." she assured him, before pulling a fabric band out and tossing it to him, the Prince tying his hair up quickly into a topknot as the street ahead of them became tighter and tighter with more pedestrians about.</p><p>She momentarily looked at him, before she turned her eyes away, "Maybe that isn't the best choice of appearance."</p><p>"Why? It's easier to tie up than my phoenix tail." he argued, making her wince slightly as she pretended to look at the market stalls.</p><p>"You look exactly like him." she warned, the Prince clearing his throat as he tried to cover his shock from comprehending why she was so uneasy; he thought people exaggerated when they said he looked like his father, but with his hair down, they'd be practically identical, barring the fact Zuko was negligibly shorter and less well-built than his father, though not by much.</p><p>"Well, they're looking for Zuko, not Ozai." he whispered, before gesturing ahead of them, acknowledging how the market sloped down the hill toward the gates in the distance, past which was the Royal Plaza, where they would be able to access the Capital City's port, "And I like my hair. I'm not cutting it."</p><p>"Okay, Mister Honour-bound Nephew." she nonchalantly referred to him, making the Prince roll his eyes; he didn't like getting insulted by Mai, usually because her insults were rather astute, yet offensive observations, I'm sure everyone who thinks you're dead will think of the disgrace of you cutting your hair."</p><p>"Okay..." he mumbled, "I might consider it." he conceded, even if he really didn't want to cut it; he knew it might be necessary if his father's men started to hunt him down properly- shorter hair, perhaps an eyepatch, or a fake beard- he didn't know what would work best, but he knew sooner or later, he might need it.</p><p>"What did you want to buy, dearest?" she sarcastically spoke to him once more, reminding him that they had to at the very least pretend they were going to the market.</p><p>"Do they sell fruit tarts? I thought you might enjoy a gift." he joked back to her, playing the act by deepening his voice somewhat; she looked like she was almost about to laugh, but she didn't, only looking ahead of them.</p><p>"This Piandao man better have some nice food."</p><p>"Fat does make some good meals." he remembered his sword master's attendant, who was quite a good cook, or at least, better than what he might have guessed him to be by his appearance.</p><p>"Fat?" she raised a brow, "That's somebody's name?"</p><p>"Yeah. Piandao's attendant... or his servant. I don't know exactly who he is. His friend, I assume."</p><p>"And any friend of your master is our friend." she concluded, "Well, maybe it won't be terrible." she decided on a more optimistic view, which he agreed with, though not out of rationale, but simply because he wanted to be optimistic; he didn't want to imagine what might happen if things went awry.</p><p>"The worst has to be past us, otherwise... I'm going to figure out lightning generation to just let out my frustrations."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for the delay on posting this chapter. I've just been finishing up some of my essays for university, so there's been a considerable drop in the amount of writing I'm able to do. Good news is, in about a week's time, I'll be done for the year, so I'll be able to write lots more all around (especially my original fiction, which has taken the backburner this semester), and my posting regimen will hopefully be more consistent.</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. A Little Push</h2></a>
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  <em>Though the bag that covered his head blinded him, and thus, he couldn't see his captors, Iroh was quite sure of where he was; he had his contacts in the Order, and they told him where to go, but he didn't expect his journey to end with him getting ambushed in the woods and captured by some unusually dressed Earth Kingdom men. He didn't resist them, and since he was wearing commoner's robes, he doubted his captors knew who he was, though he knew who they were.</em>
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  <em>He hoped that his guards and entourage who were waiting back at his Royal Barge were still thinking he had gone off on a retreat into the woods for spiritual purposes. His son's death had given him much impetus to convene with the spirits, and though his attempts to find his son in the spirit world had failed, he knew he could still use it as an excuse to explain his unusual habits and desires to go to places far from anything he'd consider important as a general. Worrying those who were meant to protect him was certainly something he wanted to avoid, but he knew it might be inevitable if his trip took longer than expected.</em>
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  <em>He had been walking for quite some time, but without any sense of time due to the sun being down, he assumed that they'd have to rest eventually. Instead of stopping to rest, Iroh began to notice the sounds of voices in the distance, and though he couldn't really hear what they were saying, he assumed he had reached the hideout of whoever had captured him. The associates of the very man he sought out, who had made it quite hard for the general, as he hadn't disclosed his actual location to the Order out of fear the Fire Nation military might inadvertently find him too.</em>
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  <em>He had been missing for over five years, and though Iroh had known him back before his betrayal, his name had become dirtied by propaganda and the anger of his father. Admiral Jeong Jeong was an admiral no more, and if he was to be found by any loyal servant of the Fire Lord, he was to be killed at once; Fire Lord Azulon had no mercy for traitors, but seeing that he was not looking for him in any official sense, he thought he could ignore his father's command.</em>
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  <em>Iroh felt some fabric move over his body, presumably as he was being pushed into a tent, and then he was forced down to his knees; his hands were already bound, and though he could easily break them if he liked, he didn't, out of a desire to keep the peace and not start any unnecessary fighting. A few moments later, the bag was pulled from his head, and he shook his hair out of his face, as it had been messed by the bag. He glanced up, and noted a large number of candles surrounding a man sitting cross-legged; his graying hair formed a messy tuff on top of his head, and his goatee and scar were just as Iroh remembered them.</em>
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  <em>"You idiots." he growled, raising his hands toward the two men behind the General who had carried him inside, "Do you realise who you just brought into our camp?"</em>
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  <em>The Crown Prince turned his head around, and saw the men looking at him with confusion, "Who is he?"</em>
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  <em>"The Dragon of the West." Jeong Jeong inferred his well-known, and perhaps feared title; the two men stepped back, and one of them drew out a spear.</em>
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  <em>"Don't attack him." the former Admiral demanded, "He's not going to attack us. If he was, he already would have done it." he warned them, the two men relaxing somewhat, "Now leave us."</em>
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  <em>They nodded, and stepped through the flaps of the canvas, leaving the two men sitting alone in the tent, with a circle of candles encasing Jeong Jeong, lighting up his scarred face, "What are you here for, Iroh?" he asked him.</em>
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  <em>Jeong Jeong had to be the only person from the Fire Nation outside his family who would dare to refer to him by his first name; not out of familiarity, but out of spite, given how the former Admiral felt about the war and their nation as a whole.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You probably have heard about what happened." he acknowledged the presumably famous event of a few months prior, "We've won the war, Jeong Jeong."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Won is an overstatement." he raised a hand to warn him, "I can't believe you could be so cocky, after what happened to you personally."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not being cocky." he assured him, "It's just the fact of the matter. How can the Earth Kingdom defend itself any longer without its great capital?" he asked him, somewhat rhetorically, before he twisted his hands, allowing him to quickly burn his binds.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He then raised his hands up to his head, pulling his hair back, all while the former Admiral stroked his goatee, eyeing the Prince inquisitively, "So, I assume you're not here to gloat."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I wouldn't come to see an old friend to gloat." he assured him, making Jeong Jeong scoff.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We were never friends, Iroh." he retorted, "I was a loyal soldier who respected his Crown Prince. Seeing that I hold no loyalty to my nation any longer, I have no reason to give a shred of kindness to you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Come on, there's no need to be so sour." he assured him, "I remember you had quite the sense of humour back in the day."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"When I was drunk." he clarified, "I have abstained from such things since I left my station. Living out here is a lot less stressful than blindly serving your country to pillage and destroy." he noted, before raising a finger toward the Prince, "Despite being so smart, you decided to continue down that path. Why?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because I thought it was my destiny." he admitted bluntly, regretting ever thinking what he had, "I was foolish, but now I have come to realise a greater destiny for myself."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, you will be Fire Lord sooner or later." the former Admiral acknowledged, "Do you think you can really change things?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not yet." he admitted, "Trying now would be foolish." he turned his eyes to the side, trying to imagine how his father might actually react to his opinions and positions on the Fire Nation's various policies; the fact he was probably closer in ideals to the 'traitor' that sat before him than his own father indicated he mightn't take kit well.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Trying ever would be foolish. The rabid dogs would come for you. All their praise would turn to hate. You know that, yet you deny it." he chided him, crossing his arms, "Have you learnt nothing, Iroh?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, you are right." he conceded, "But that doesn't mean a better future can't be found for the Fire Nation. There's enough people who might see what we've done and realise the fault in it; I don't know every single person who would dare speak out against the war, but I'm sure they exist. You just happened to be the one who was a high-ranking officer." he acknowledged, Jeong Jeong raising his chin and letting out an exasperated breath.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They must." he agreed, "But what does... why are you even here? I'm not important, Iroh. I'm not anyone anymore."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because I know you wanted to find a day when somebody saw how right you were... and today is that day." he admitted, "I doubted you back then. I believed in our mission, and now... now all I see are the bodies piling up. The generations lost to this pointless conflict." he acknowledged, "Ever since I was a boy, I wanted to see the war end, I wanted to win it. And I know that was stupid and arrogant of me now, and even still, I still want that same thing, but for different reasons."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You grew up. How sad for the world that it took you until you were getting bald and gray." Jeong Jeong retorted, clearly not happy about the missed opportunity; Iroh might have been turned to his cause, and inclinations in considering the war many years prior, but he had forced himself down the path he had, whether out of fear or greed, but he had willfully chosen his position over what was right.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I have made mistakes, and though many I regret... I couldn't see at the time. I see the same things with my son... with my niece and nephew too. We have all been blinded by our power and high station; if I had seen half the horrors the common soldier had, perhaps I might have joined you in these woods."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, you're here now." he noted, "How typical of a strong man like you, only doing what is right when he is at his weakest. Without any of your power, and your might, you're just like me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he nodded, agreeing with him completely, "I have lost much, and my loss has opened my eyes. Even if I fought with righteous intent, I can no longer fight as I have. My flames may be strong, but... I cannot do that again."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We share that common curse." Jeong Jeong spoke up, "We have not been enlightened by asceticism and withdrawal from society, but rather, by the horrid things we're made to do, believing them to be right, until we realise our beliefs were as unsound as a house made of twigs." he explained, rather poetically, the circumstances they had found themselves in.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And now I have to make a better house. A better nation."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did you expect me to help you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." he shook his head, "I wanted your advice. You disdain violence to your core, and thus... you are perhaps the only person I can ask this of."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Should you tear our nation apart to save it?" he preempted his question, "If that is what you want, then you should do it, but know that-" he began to warn him, the Prince shaking his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no, it's not that." he admitted, "I will not have to fight that fight." he stressed, "My conflict will lay within the walls of that palace. My family... they are my true enemy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your brother and father will not agree to your ideal nation, won't they?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I may have to fight, and I wish... I wish to be a better man than my father, but I don't know if I can do what might have to be done." he acknowledged, the former Admiral raising a brow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You will have to fight your brother." he deduced what the Prince was thinking, "You might have to strike him down." he furthered his assumption, before shaking his head, "Why do you want my advice on this? I don't know Ozai."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, but you know people." he argued, "Jeong Jeong. You're one of the people I can trust to know what is right for our country. You've been doing what's right longer than I have. I simply want to know... what would you do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I would not want to be in your circumstances." he simply put it, "If I were you, I would have left the life of royalty behind."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Part of me wants to... but I know that I cannot fail my niece and nephew, nor my country." he acknowledged the dilemma he had found himself in; he did not want to be Fire Lord, at least not in the sense of the responsibilities that would be burdened upon him, and being forced into fights he would have no choice over.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then you will do what you have to. There is no choice. You can hide, you can avoid it, but eventually, if you think it will come, it will. You must be ready." he simply put it, "It took courage to betray my country, because I feared what might become of me, but my desire to renege on the life I had lived was greater than the fears I had for my life."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I do fear what might become of my country if I let my brother rule it." he acknowledged, "I fear for what might become of the world. I have the power... and I will use it justly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You know more than anyone that power can blind you." he warned, "But I guess that's why you surrendered yourself to me. You no longer see the benefit in the strength you once held against your enemies."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My real strength is in what I have learnt. My knowledge that I possess, I wish I had had it at my nephew's age; the things I could have achieved... it's sad, honestly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There is no time for regret." Jeong Jeong argued, the flames of his candles rising, "You can wallow in your failings, or you can rise to the challenge." he acknowledged, "I don't think our nation can be saved, but... if anyone can do it, it has to be you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." he shook his head, "My niece and nephew, they will do the saving." he acknowledged, "I promised an old woman many years ago that I would end the war, and tell my niece and nephew about their origins, and what their real destinies are."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The bloodlines of the Avatar and the Royal Family coming together." Jeong Jeong acknowledged what Fire Lord Azulon had created by his machinations, which had brought an opportunity that Iroh could not ignore, not now that they were in the direct line of succession, "Do you really think they can do what their ancestor failed to do?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe." he turned his eyes down, unsure whether he ought to place all his trust in two children, of all people; he knew they were good, in their own ways, and he knew that they were capable.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They just need a little push in the right direction."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Though he was by no means incapable of hiking through the hinterland around Omashu, Iroh was quickly reminded how frustrating walking was; being in pain and afraid for his life when he first escaped his assassins meant that he more or less ignored the frustrations and foot aches that came along with a long march. His niece was no more tolerant of their situation, and neither were their guards, given that they hadn't taken any mounts along with them, which he would usually use himself if he were travelling overland. He hadn't done much travelling since he retired after the conquest of Ba Sing Se, and in the past two weeks he'd done the most walking he'd done in four whole years.</p><p>When they ended up reaching the final stretch before the gully that surrounded Omashu, he couldn't help but sigh with relief; the sun was already below the horizon, which made it a good time to sneak into the sewers, given the city's defenders would have a harder time spotting them when it was dim and they themselves didn't require fire for navigation. The Imperial Firebenders who had come along with them were clearly exasperated from the march, and he knew that they would have to remain behind while they moved into the city.</p><p>Their disguises were only really useful in the scenario Earth Kingdom troops found them, in which case they could excuse themselves as refugees; he knew that he and his niece were the only ones who could go inside, given that they were likely to be taken prisoners by the city's defenders rather than anything worse than that, given their political value, unlike their guards, who might otherwise meet a grizzly fate if it came down to an actual fight.</p><p>The Fire Lord came to a halt as he made sight of the gully, and noted in the distance the very sewer drains they'd need to use to climb up into the city; there were craters strewn across the valley, evidence of prior fighting, though there were no bodies or anything of the likes, indicating that the Fire Nation forces hadn't attacked recently. His niece turned to face him, realising that he'd stopped, and she eyed him, obviously confused as to why he'd done so.</p><p>"Uncle, why are you stopping? We're almost there." she chided him, gesturing toward the city that towered on the mountain in front of them, "Omashu's right there."</p><p>"I know." he assured her, "I just wanted to clear some things up."</p><p>"Like how you managed to fool all those soldiers into thinking you were a servant?" she asked him rhetorically, seeming somewhere between impressed and disappointed by his achievement.</p><p>"No, no that." he assured her, before turning to face the Imperial Firebenders, "I can't have any of you coming any further along. You are here to protect us, not to die at the hands of earthbenders." he warned them, "My niece and I can be taken prisoner, but you all would not face kind fates if we run into trouble."</p><p>"Your majesty, it is our duty to protect you and your family." one of them stepped forward, "Please, reconsider your command."</p><p>"I will not. I cannot have you all dying on my watch." he stressed, "I said the same to my guards back at that beach, and they heeded my words. I assume you will do the same."</p><p>"He's right." Azula agreed with him, "Your protection is unnecessary, especially given that my uncle personally knows the ruler of this city. The assassins obviously haven't been following us; if they had, they would have already attacked us before we got too close to the city."</p><p>The guards then bowed to them both, understanding that the decision was final; they looked amongst themselves for a few moments before one of them stepped forward, "What will you have us do while you are gone, your majesty?"</p><p>"Remain here, if you wish, but if you are in danger, I recommend you return to the camp. My niece and I may be some days in this city, and though you all have supplies, I would prefer that you return to the tank-train."</p><p>"And what will we say to the General?"</p><p>"Zhiying thinks I've gone after the Avatar." she acknowledged, "Just tell him I wanted to go into the city alone, and that your protection is not necessary while I am undercover." she gave her command, which the guards acknowledged with nods, "So, are we going to go, or what?"</p><p>"We should be hasteful. There's a chance we might be spotted by the defenders." he noted, "Our clothing is suited to camouflaging amongst the rocks and dirt, but they can still see us if they've got any decent spotters... which they will." he added, before turning his gaze to the guards, "Perhaps they can provide some cover."</p><p>"Draw the attention of the enemy?" one of the guards raised a brow, "We can do that, your majesty."</p><p>"Then go do so. If you come across a patrol, then I suggest you start a fight." he noted, "Please try not to engage with lethal intent. I would not want word of my own personal guards killing the soldiers of the very man I seek to convene with."</p><p>They bowed to show their acceptance of his command, and his niece stepped forward, raising a finger, "They're my guards." she corrected him, making the Fire Lord wince, remembering that he had been undermining her authority by commanding around the guards he'd invested her authority over.</p><p>"I apologise, my niece. I see that I probably should let you command your own men." he conceded, before turning his eyes toward the city, "Now, let's get moving. I'd like to get to the King's Palace so I can finally rest my feet."</p><p>"Yes, you should." she chided him, before striding past the Fire Lord, taking the lead as the two groups went their separate ways.</p><p>Iroh followed his niece down the hillslope, leading them past a few large boulders and outcrops which provided them cover as they made their way down towards the base of the gully, beyond which sat a massive sheer rock face that surrounded the mountain upon which the city of Omashu was situated; to his luck, the sewer exits weren't that high up, so he wouldn't have to exhaust himself that much. The two royals were deathly silent barring their careful footsteps as they made their way down the slope, and he patiently waited for the signal that would eventually come from the Imperial Firebenders.</p><p>The Fire Lord, feeling confident in his footing, turned his gaze up to his niece, unsure if she was feeling nervous; he felt inclined to say yes, given that if she wasn't, she'd probably be spending her time chiding him more over his handling of her guards. The very fact that he, as the Fire Lord, ruler of his nation, could be chided by anyone was hilarious, going against everything his father had told him about being the Fire Lord. He was meant to be the infallible and all-powerful leader of his nation, leading them to victory against their so-called enemies, but he was just a man, working with his teenage niece to hide from people who seemed to have more power than himself, all while hoping she didn't get angry at him for bossing her men around.</p><p>His attention was suddenly drawn by the sound of flames roaring in the distance; he could tell that there was a lot of fire, given it almost sounded like a roaring gust, something he'd find challenging to create with his bending alone. He turned around to see that multiple streams of fire were converging together, racing toward the walls of the city; though he couldn't see any defenders at the angle he was standing from, he was sure they were ready to retaliate. A few moments later, after the flames made contact with the wall, causing a blast that was audible from where he was standing, a few large boulders were flung off of the wall, at a speed that was honestly amazing, flying right above Iroh and Azula, toward where he assumed the Imperial Firebenders were attacking from.</p><p>"That is a distraction." he acknowledged, his niece turning to face him, offering him a hand.</p><p>"Now, Uncle, this is our chance to get to the sewers." she stressed, his hand grasping her own, and with that, she dragged him along down the slope, moving toward the base of the gully with haste; there were rocks and debris everywhere, presumably due to earlier attacks on Fire Nation forces, but that didn't stop his niece, who weaved around them, pulling him along behind her.</p><p>He kept his pace up, and eyed up ahead of them, noting the steep and rough path they were about to take; he would have preferred to wind up the hill, instead of racing right for the sewer outlet, but the danger they were in was not to be underestimated. The Earth Kingdom forces defending the city's walls could just as easily direct their boulders down toward the two royals if they made sight of them. Though they were both skilled and powerful firebenders, that didn't mean they'd fare very well against enemies they couldn't even see, let alone reach. His feet began to ache as they ran up the slope, Azula letting go of his hand to make a dash up toward the nearest sewer entrance, which was still some distance up the slope.</p><p>He heard another few boulders smash into the hillside opposite them, suggesting the guards were still under attack; he knew they ought to withdraw quickly, given that the soldiers defending the city would probably sally forth to finish them off if they idled around too much. He trusted in Imperial Firebenders of all people to get the job done, but he knew from experience how stubborn they could be. Keeping his gaze ahead of himself, he moved around boulders to continue on after his niece, whose pace had only increased since she let go of his hand. He wasn't surprised when she got to the sewer outlet far before he did, still struggling to jog up the slope, all while worrying about debris from the city's walls falling down on top of them. To his luck, they didn't eventuate, and he was able to keep his eyes ahead of them, and focus on getting to the sewer entrance.</p><p>"Uncle! Hurry up!" his niece growled at him, and Iroh raised a hand, assuring her that he was going to catch up.</p><p>She turned back around to face the sewers, and lit a bright blue torch on her right index finger, before cutting it through the metal bars that covered the sewer entrance; the Fire Lord paced on up the slope after her, momentarily distracted by the sound of a fire stream blasting the walls above them once again. The incline became more frustrating, and Iroh panted in exhaustion, hoping that the insides of the sewer were as steeply sloped. When he finally reached the slight flattening out of the slope where the sewer entrance was located, the Dragon of the West sighed with relief, but that relief quickly ended when he caught a whiff of the sewer he was about to enter.</p><p>"That's terrible." he bluntly acknowledged, Azula turning around to face him with an unimpressed face, having just cut a number of red, hot gashes into the iron bars with her bending.</p><p>She then proceeded to kick the metal bars, breaking them from their hold, and causing them to fall down into the sewer, making an audible splatter, "This is the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do." she simply put her situation to words, before narrowing her eyes at him, "You owe me one, Uncle."</p><p>"I would have preferred the gates, but that might have been a challenge, with the earthbenders and all." he conceded, Azula rolling her eyes before sighing, stepping into the stinking sewer.</p><p>"I could have beat them." she retorted, making him scoff.</p><p>"You are a powerful bender, Azula, but nobody can beat a few dozen trained earthbenders at once." he warned her, before grimacing, remembering such a situation was the exact one his own son had faced before he had been killed; he look on her face suggested she was thinking the very same thing, and all she could do was turn around and mumble in response.</p><p>"You're right." she almost whispered, before throwing her hands up into the air, "Well, I guess I just have to walk through other people's bodily waste to get to Aang."</p><p>"And my friends." he added, making her shake her head.</p><p>"Could have you all chosen a less... challenging meeting spot?" she asked him, clearly frustrated that they had had to go all the way into Earth Kingdom territory, ontop of having to now climb through a sewer.</p><p>"Well, it was rather convenient, back when I wasn't pretending to be dead. Diplomacy is useful."</p><p>"You know what is more useful?" she retorted, giving him a rhetorical question to which he already knew the answer.</p><p>"Being the most powerful man in the world."</p><p>"Precisely." she agreed with him, "And once we get through this sewer, we're going to talk to whatever old fats you're friends with, and they're going to make sure it stays that way."</p><p>He followed on after her, placing a hand on the edge of the entrance as he caught his breath, watching his niece slowly trudge into the dark, odorous sewer, "Just let me... catch a breath." he gasped out, Azula turning to look back his way; she then suddenly snapped her fingers, lighting a flame in her right palm, the Fire Lord smiling as he realised their bending provided them with a easy way to guide themselves through the sewers.</p><p>He then took his first step inside, grimacing as he felt what had to be a mixture of food waste, bodily waste and run-off water; Iroh's boots were thick, however, and they didn't soak in any of the disgusting liquid. Relieved by that fact, he began to trudge on behind his niece, who was steadily pacing up the incline of the sewer; she remained silent, and covered her nose with her left hand to block out the smell from the running sewerage. He did the same, and eyed up ahead, unsure how long it would take them to get up to the street level; he knew that the incline was relatively sharp, which gave him hope that it wouldn't take them too long. He was forced to begin stepping on one side of the tunnel, due to the runoff below his feet becoming rather slippery. Though he could try and put his hand on the stone bricks beside him in an attempt to keep himself steady, he preferred to not touch anything in the sewer that he didn't have to.</p><p>As they made their way up, he saw the light from outside slowly fade, until all the light he could see came from Azula's blue flames, washing their field of view that rather pretty, relaxing colour. Though he was sure when anybody else saw his niece's flames, they would be less allured by its colour and beauty, he didn't fear her like he assumed some people did; she had voiced to him her desire to establish order through fear on her ship, and he felt a little sorry for her because of it. She had lost a chance to make some friends on the ship, though he personally doubted she'd be socialising with servants, guards and sailors; for that, he was glad they were intending to see her friend Ty Lee, who would probably improve his niece's mood by merely being there.</p><p>She made a light cover, and shook her head, "I hope this is worth it, old man." she growled at him, before increasing her pace, the Dragon of the West making a slight grimace as he realised how uncomfortable the entire situation had made her; it wasn't much better for himself, but unlike her, he'd grown reasonably comfortable in being in dirty places, the battlefield being a good example of just that.</p><p>"I apologise." he simply told her, before increasing his pace, not wanting to be left behind by her standing alone in a gloomy and stinking sewer.</p><p>The Fire Lord noted how the tunnel began to curve to the left in front of them, and though he couldn't see any light yet, he assumed that they were approaching some kind of intersection in the tunnel; sewerage would have to go from all around the city, so obviously, there would be many paths they could take to get up to the street level. Azula began to hasten herself, perhaps just wanting to get out as fast as she could, and he grimaced, not wanting her to slip over and hurt herself.</p><p>"Azula, slow down!" he tried to warn her, the Princess not heeding his words as she paced around the bend, forcing Iroh to light his own flame, lest he find himself unable to take a step without accidentally slipping.</p><p>He paced up after her, and realised that the incline was quickly flattening out, suggesting that they were about to get somewhere; he couldn't see any light but that of his niece's flames. He did catch back up to her, but he was panting in exhaustion, his flames flickering as he struggled to keep his breath; she looked back his way with confusion, and shook her head.</p><p>"Are you really that unfit?" she queried him, the Fire Lord groaning, simply not wanting to get angry with her, even if she'd given him a good reason.</p><p>"I'm... that was steep, Azula." he excused himself, before glancing past her, noting a few forks in the path, "Which way are we going?" he asked Azula, who gestured to their left.</p><p>"This city's a mountain that slopes up the further you get inside, so... the shortest path within the sewers is going to be that taking us closest to the walls." she concluded, Iroh nodding, before he reached out to grasp the wall; though he had told himself he wasn't going to do it, he really did need to catch a breath.</p><p>"Urgh..." he grumbled, before shaking his head, knowing that he had to keep some degree of composure; they were going to have to fool whoever they came across in the city, so they could get to Bumi's palace and meet with the Order of the White Lotus.</p><p>His niece grasped his right arm, and he looked up at her, noting the ever so slight concern on her face; she was good at hiding her emotions, but not that good, "Uncle, don't be lazy." she chided her, "We're probably close."</p><p>"I know." he assured her, before she began to help him along, holding his right hand with her left, while her own right was filled by blue flames, lighting up the tunnel for them, allowing them to see up the path they were taking; it was almost level, which was good, and he was able to increase his pace, which must have made Azula happy, as she turned her gaze ahead, slightly smirking.</p><p>The two royals continued along up the sewer tunnel, and Iroh made sight of a few shimmers of light coming off of the running water ahead of them; light had to be coming down from somewhere, and he guessed that somewhere was a street. The two of them began to walk faster toward the shimmering light, and quickly enough, they realised its source; a vertical shaft above the sewer, going up to a wooden panel, covering the shaft from outside view. The wooden panel was aged with gaps and cracks in it, which was why light was able to filter down into the sewer. Azula no longer needed her flames, and extinguished them,before gesturing to the indentations in the wall that would allow them to climb up.</p><p>"Go first, Uncle. I'll be a faster climber." she suggested, the Fire Lord nodding, before smiled at her, giving her a pat on the shoulder; she flinched back with a grimace, looking at her shoulder with disgust.</p><p>"Uncle! Don't touch me with your wall hand!" she growled at him, her voice rising to a volume that might be heard by people outside the sewer.</p><p>"Not so loud." he raised a finger, before turning his eyes to the indentations he'd have to climb up, "I should have used my right hand. I am sorry." he apologised, before he took a hold of one of the indentations, pulling himself up and beginning his ascent.</p><p>His niece held his back, to ensure that he didn't fall down, and he quickly made his way up, glad that he was getting some distance from the stench they'd been walking through; the climb wasn't very long, and he lifted his hand up, pushing the wooden panel out of place. He then shoved it away from the shaft with a few pushes, before finally lifting his head out of the hole, glancing around outside. It was relatively dark outside, as the sun was getting close to setting when they had made their final approach, but he could still hear a fair few pedestrians in the distance, though the shaft led out to an alleyway, away from prying eyes. He pulled himself out of the hole, and then glanced back down, noting that Azula was already climbing up.</p><p>"Let's get away from here quickly, we can't draw too much attention when this place is under siege." Iroh warned his niece, who climbed out of the shaft at haste, before pushing the panel with her foot back over the hole.</p><p>"Where's the palace?" she asked him bluntly, Iroh glancing around before he looked up toward the top of the mountain, where he could see some parts of the structure that constituted the palace.</p><p>"Right up there. Let's just stay off the main streets, and we'll be fine." he assured her, before realising her expression had shifted to one of unease; he turned around, and realised there were four guards looking at them with suspicion.</p><p>"What are you two doing?" one of them asked the pair, Azula stepping forward to try and argue in their favour.</p><p>"Minding our own business, unless you say loitering away from view is a crime." she questioned them, the guards chuckling at her rather snappy response.</p><p>"No, that's not a crime." one of them noted, before stepping closer to her, "But tell me, why would two peasants smell like shit?"</p><p>"Sh- I don't-" the Princess tried to defend herself, before sniffing her robes, and making a face which told Iroh she might be sick, "Urgh..." she grumbled, before turning her eyes to face him, "So what?"</p><p>"You two were just in the sewers." one of the guards noted, before approaching Iroh, "Old man, empty your pockets."</p><p>"We don't have any time to for this. We have places to go." Azula tried to argue in their defence, another guard raising a finger toward her.</p><p>"Shush, girl." he chided her, before Iroh reached into his pockets, and drew out their contents; he only had a few coins, a small flask of water, and the one thing he always kept on his person- a white lotus tile.</p><p>The guard looked at his hands, and then eyed him more carefully, "You wouldn't happen to be one of the king's friends, would you?"</p><p>"Oh... well, it depends who you ask." he cryptically assured him, the guard turning to face his comrades.</p><p>"Men, who does this guy look like to you?"</p><p>"A fat balding guy." one of them retorted, "So, any old nobleman." he joked, making Azula clench her fists, clearly not liking to hear them insult him, even if she was more than willing to insult him herself, if she felt the need to do so.</p><p>"Wrong." the guard corrected him, "This man is Fire Lord Iroh, the Dragon of the West." he declared, the two royals both tensing up, looking at each other with the same face; a fight could be on their hands, and they were in a place they had little chance of escaping.</p><p>"How do you know?"</p><p>"Because he and his ash-makers nearly killed me in the field of battle." he declared, making Iroh raise a brow; he assumed that he was in the Earth Kingdom army before becoming a guard- there were many battles he had fought, so it didn't surprise him that he had faced the man before him.</p><p>There were a few moments of awkward silence, before the guard pointed at Iroh, "So, are you here to see the king, or kill him?"</p><p>"I'm here to speak with him." he assured him, "I mean no harm to you or your comrades here." he assured him.</p><p>"So, what are you, his servant? Guard?" one of them asked Azula, making her raise a hand up.</p><p>"I'd choose my next words very carefully if I were you." she warned him, the fire Lord stepping forward, hoping to stop her from attacking the guards and getting them in even more trouble than they were already in.</p><p>"I recommend you apologise to my niece." he warned the guard, "She is the only reason I was able to reach this city."</p><p>"Wait-" one of them gasped, stepping back, "That's her. The one who captured the Avatar."</p><p>"Oh, I am." she smirked, "Would you happen to know where Aang is? Enjoying the king's reception? Or is he actually hiding his identity?" she asked him, the guards looking at each other with confusion.</p><p>"The Avatar? The Avatar left here yesterday." the leader clarified, before pointing at her, "You weren't planning to snatch him up, were you?"</p><p>"That would have been a stupid idea." she retorted, before crossing her arms, "So are you taking us to the king or what?"</p><p>"Just wait a minute. Why would we take the Fire Lord and his niece to the King of Omashu? You two could try and kill him for all we know." one of the guards accused them, the Dragon of the West raising his hands up.</p><p>"Now, I have no intentions of fighting King Bumi, unless, of course, he wants to spar." he assured them, "I simply want to speak with him." he restated his intentions, before offering his hands up, "If you're so worried, bind our hands and take us to the palace that way."</p><p>"You heard him." the leader of the guards spoke up, "Shackle them!"</p><p>The guards did just that, and though Azula probably wanted to resist, she dropped her shoulders and dejectedly offered her hands out, clearly not wanting to denigrate herself, but having little choice to do otherwise. She turned her eyes to her uncle, seeming almost confused by the turn of events.</p><p>"Did they just take your order?" she asked, Iroh snickering upon realising that she was correct.</p><p>"Well, I'm an important man, Azula. People take me seriously."</p><hr/><p>Princess Azula didn't trust anybody from the Earth Kingdom, and she had a rather logical reason to do so; her position as Princess of the Fire Nation meant that if she ever went face-to-face with them, she would most likely get into a fight, where they would be trying to kill her, or perhaps worse, make her their captive. However, that presumption was being challenged rather strongly as she sat in the throne room of the King's Palace in Omashu, surrounded by guards, who in fact, were not just protecting the King, but she and her uncle from any potential threats, especially those of the assassins that had gone after Iroh.</p><p>She was trying to ignore their presence as her uncle and the old, unusual king chatted along heartily, the Princess trying her best to restrain from making any comments that would either incite fear or offence from the King or any of the other members of their 'old men club' that were also sitting on the table with them. There were a variety of people, and some of them were Fire Nation, or at least she presumed they were, given their golden eyes, even if they were wearing the same robes as any other peasant. She guessed that the Order of the White Lotus needed to disguise themselves when they were travelling around, especially into what would be 'enemy territory', and that included her uncle.</p><p>Her idle glancing wasn't taken of much note by those on the table, who didn't seem to be afraid of her in the slightest; she wondered if they were calm because Iroh was there, and not because she couldn't cause a ruckus if she so pleased. Her train of thought was broken by her uncle addressing her, and as she hadn't been paying any attention to his conversation with the King, she had to turn around and fake a smile.</p><p>"What was that, Uncle?" she asked him, the Fire Lord gesturing to her hands, which had been holding a now empty cup of tea.</p><p>"King Bumi would like to see it." he simply told her, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"Sorry, he'd like to see what? My tea?" she inquired, making the old king cackle.</p><p>"Ah-aha! That's a good one. She has a sense of humour, Iroh." he pat the Fire Lord on the back, "But, no, I was talking about your power." he clarified, his tone becoming a whole lot more serious; the change was enough to make her shuffle in her seat, and tilt her head slightly.</p><p>"My firebending?" she asked, the King nodding.</p><p>"Yes, your firebending. I know your uncle here is quite the bender, and I just wanted to see how you compare." he simply told her, the Princess rolling her eyes, not wanting to have to show off purely to make her uncle look feeble in comparison; it wasn't that she didn't want to brag, but to brag in front of someone so important in a way that denigrated the Dragon of the West, that was some Agni Kai material, to paraphrase something her father had once said.</p><p>"I wouldn't dare say I am better than my uncle." she assured him, "He may be a little rusty, but he's the man who conquered-" she began, before cutting herself off, remembering the orientation of the group sitting on the table, "He's no joke."</p><p>"Well, Princess Azula, are you a joke?" he asked her, before smirking, "I have a feeling you're usually not this humble."</p><p>"Are you trying to get me to do something, specifically?" she asked him, now suspicious of his intentions, in trying to make vague insults that would offend her if she was not more concerned about keeping face in front of her uncle's allies.</p><p>"Just show me." he asked her, the Princess rolling her eyes, before turning around the table.</p><p>"Are we meant to actually be discussing something, or are we just having tea and supper?" she asked the King, who cleared his throat, before rising to his feet.</p><p>"My friends! Now it is time to turn our focus to the man we've all been waiting for, Grand Lotus Iroh." he gestured toward her uncle, who rose to his feet and bowed toward those at the table in respect.</p><p>"I thank you all for coming here, and waiting for me. I didn't expect to be faced with the situation I was in, but I am an important man, and that brings risks." he acknowledged, "As you may have heard, my ship was attacked about two weeks ago, and it was sunk, while we were in transit to the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>"Some of us here thought you were dead." one of the men spoke up, "How was it that you were able to get away?"</p><p>"My assassins came back after me once we landed on the coast. I got my guards to take the crew of my ship north to a nearby Fire Navy base, but I was forced to run off into the woods." he acknowledged, "One of the assassins can firebend with his mind, and nearly killed me with the explosions he could create."</p><p>One of the men, a middle-aged Fire Nation man with long black hair, spurted out the tea from his mouth, and looked at the Fire Lord with a near frantic face, "S-sorry..." he apologised, "Did you just say firebend with his mind?"</p><p>"Yes." he nodded, "I had heard of such abilities, but I didn't think they would be so dangerous."</p><p>"Was this a man with a metal right arm?" he asked, the Princess raising her hand toward the man accusingly.</p><p>"How do you know of this man?! Tell us!" she demanded, the man grimacing as he turned his gaze away.</p><p>"He's a master assassin, by the name of Sanyan." he explained, "Well, I don't think that's his actual name, but that's the name I was told when I heard about him." he clarified, Bumi raising a finger to his goatee.</p><p>"And how'd you hear about this assassin, Karasu?" he asked him, "He sounds like a dangerous fellow if he's going around trying to explode the Fire Lord."</p><p>"Um..." he mumbled, before turning his eyes away, "Well, you see, back when I was young, I was involved with a group."</p><p>"The Open Eyes." one of the men spoke up, giving a name to what he was speaking of; Azula immediately recognised the name from a history class.</p><p>"Uncle." she addressed her uncle, trying to remain calm, remembering where she had heard that name from, "Those are the people that nearly killed Grandfather, aren't they."</p><p>"I simply wanted to protest the actions of the Fire Nation in the war, but some of my comrades were more radically minded. They wanted to use that very assassin to kill... well, the Fire Lord.</p><p>"Ironic." Bumi noted, before turning his eyes to Iroh, "Do you know who is behind these assassins, Iroh?"</p><p>"My father." Azula spoke up, knowing that she had to stress the very fact to remind herself of it; she didn't want to believe it, to begin with, but she knew that she couldn't doubt herself, now sitting with a bunch of old men who ought to be considered the enemies of her nation, if it weren't for the fact her uncle was apart of them.</p><p>"Prince Ozai." the man she knew to be called Kurasu mumbled, "Who would have... well, I guess Jeong Jeong said it, didn't he?"</p><p>"Jeong Jeong." Azula spoke the name she had just heard, remembering that one too, "The traitor."</p><p>"A friend." Iroh corrected her, "He couldn't come to this meeting, I assume."</p><p>"He was too worried about the Fire Nation Army tracking his movements." Kurasu noted, "Perhaps you ought to pardon him, seeing you're the Fire Lord, after all."</p><p>"Well, I'm missing in action at the moment. I can't really help in that regard." her uncle acknowledged, "Should I continue my story?"</p><p>"Yes, continue." one of the men on the table raised his hand, "We want to hear how you got here, and how your niece got messed up in all of this."</p><p>"Well, it was her choice." he acknowledged, "My niece, believing me to be in serious danger, came to my assistance, but I had already been lost in the woods, found some help from the locals, before travelling to a nearby village. The assassins tracked me down, I beat them, and the next morning, my niece found me." he explained the course of events rather simply, "Of course, in that span of time, the Avatar had escaped captivity, and I presume, he had come here, and met with you."</p><p>"He supposedly beat Bumi in a fight." one of the men seemingly joked, the old king raising a hand, obviously not agreeing with him.</p><p>"That's a lie. It was a draw. I can beat that sneaky little airbender any day of the week, whether I'm a hundred and twelve or not." he argued in his favour, making Azula look at him with confusion, before raising a brow, realising that the King of Omashu was the same age as Aang, technically, given his time in the iceberg.</p><p>"You fought Aang?" Azula asked Bumi, "I don't know how good he'd be against an earthbender like yourself." she noted, before narrowing her eyes, "How good are you, exactly?" she asked, now interested by the same question he had given her, just the opposite way around.</p><p>"Oh." he shrugged his shoulders, "I just know a thing or two." he casually acknowledged, leaning back onto his chair, before he flicked a finger up, a tile flying off of the ground beside the table, before he flung it right at the Princess; she had quick enough reflexes to flick her right hand up, creating a narrow arc of flames which slashed right through the tile and shattered it into dust.</p><p>"Oh, well, you've got better reflexes than him." he complimented her, before stretching his neck a little, "You know, he called you his acquaintance. You must be a very nice captor."</p><p>"I treat people with respect when necessary." she framed her actions in a way she liked, and the old king snorted once more.</p><p>"Heh-heh, okay, if you say so." he chuckled, before gesturing toward her, "So, are you going to go capture him, or is there a new plan?"</p><p>"He's a very useful weapon, so I'm going to direct him at my biggest present problem." she explained, making him scrunch his lips up.</p><p>"Your wardrobe?" he questioned her, the Princess glancing down at the drab robes she was wearing; despite how cool she usually was when it came to dealing with others, she felt that comment hit a certain nerve, perhaps because of how out of the blue it was, "No, Aang doesn't have a good fashion sense. Always wearing the same old robes."</p><p>"The same old-" she repeated him with a mumble, before pointing a finger at King Bumi, "How well did you get to know the Avatar and his friends, anyway?"</p><p>"Well, I met those two Water Tribe teens. Kind and supportive, but Aang, I've known him a long time."</p><p>"Sorry, you mean to say you knew the Avatar before the war?" Azula asked him, the king smirking.</p><p>"That I did." he snapped his fingers, "And he hasn't changed one bit." he noted, with a more concerned voice, "It's really weird, honestly."</p><p>"Okay, so would you happen to know where he's going? I'd like better directions than 'maybe the North Pole'." she requested of the King, before shaking his hand.</p><p>"Slow down there." he warned her, "You haven't told us what you want with the Avatar yet."</p><p>"I did!" she growled at him, before slapping her uncle on the arm, "Uncle, you tell them."</p><p>"I want my niece to teach the Avatar firebending." he simply explained, Azula raising a brow.</p><p>"Sorry, you want me to what?" she asked him, unsure if she had heard him right; she could understand making sure Aang could help them against Ozai, but teaching the one person who might pose a real threat to the Fire Nation firebending sounded like a pretty dangerous idea.</p><p>"Ah, that's just poetic, Iroh." Bumi smirked at him, patting him on the shoulder, "You must have thought of it that way too."</p><p>"What's poetic, that a Princess of the Fire Nation might teach the Avatar how to defeat her nation?" she questioned him, "That just sounds stupid."</p><p>"No, that's not what it is." the King assured her, before turning his eyes to Iroh, "Wait, you haven't told her yet, have you?"</p><p>"Told me what?" she asked them both, before eyeing those on the table, who obviously realised she was agitated.</p><p>"Uh, well, Azula, you see... there's a reason you mother and father married."</p><p>"It was arranged." she recalled, the Fire Lord raising a finger.</p><p>"By the Fire Sages." he clarified, "They told my father that bringing the bloodline of the Avatar into our family would create great firebenders."</p><p>She nodded reflexively in response to his answer, before her jaw dropped, realising what she had just heard. It took a few moments to sink in, but her hands dropped down onto the table in front of her as she considered the fact; he had just said the bloodline of the Avatar. She felt a shiver down her spine, grasping her uncle by the arm, wanting a proper answer; she had thought that her birth was about destiny, but from what he was saying, it sounded like it had nothing to do with destiny.</p><p>"Th-the..." she mumbled, before glancing around the table, realising they were just as shocked as she was, barring Bumi, of course, who must have already known about it, "What did you just say?"</p><p>"I'm sorry, Azula. I should have found a better way to tell you... but now that the Avatar has appeared, I have to." he acknowledged, before rising up to his feet, "I'm sorry, I have to excuse myself and my niece. We need to talk privately." he explained, before gesturing for her to follow.</p><p>She rose up to her feet, before eyeing Bumi, "Does Aang know?"</p><p>"Not yet." he admitted, before pointing toward Iroh, indicating for her to follow, which she did.</p><p>Pacing on after him, she approached a doorway, where her uncle stood; he turned to face a guard, and gestured for him to open the door. Like the other doors in the palace, it was made of stone, and the guard bent it open, showing a large balcony, where she could see over the city, and the gully and mountains that surrounded it. The smoke of the war camps in the distance reminded her of the danger Omashu was in, and remembered that it was her people about to storm the very city they were being sheltered in. Iroh strode over to the stone railing of the balcony, and placed his hands down on it; she followed, and wondered what she ought to ask him. She couldn't think straight, her mind jumping from the vista before her to the thought of her dead mother, and all the things she didn't know about her, or her origin, which seemed to be what her uncle was about to convey to her.</p><p>"U-Uncle." she stammered, unable to put her thoughts to words, "Who am I?"</p><p>"One hundred and twelve years ago, a volcano erupted in the eastern islands of the Fire Nation." her uncle told her, the Princess narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"What does a volcano have to do with any of this?" she asked him, confused by his words.</p><p>"Everything, my niece." he assured her, before narrowing his eyes at her, "When that volcano erupted, my grandfather, your great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, travelled to that island, to help his old friend, Avatar Roku. The Avatar and Fire Lord fought long and hard against the volcano, which threatened to and ultimately did swallow the village on the island whole. The Avatar's family lived on that island, and were forced to flee, while the two men tried to stave off the eruption." he explained, before sighing, "The Avatar was hurt when trying to escape, and Sozin refused to help him, believing him to be an obstacle in his great vision for the Fire Nation. So, he left him to die."</p><p>Azula blinked a few times, wondering what the story had to do with her ancestry, "So, are you saying that the Avatar I'm descended from is Avatar Roku?"</p><p>"Yes." he nodded, "On the boat that was sailing away from the village was a woman, Ta Min, the Avatar's wife, and their children, one of which was a young girl called Rina. She was your grandmother."</p><p>"So... my mother was the Avatar's granddaughter." she concluded, "And that means that... the Fire Sages wanted to marry her and my father to create... me."</p><p>"My father wanted a great firebender, so he went and sought out the Avatar's descendants. He found Rina and her daughter, who was around the same age as his second son, and that... that was what he needed. He took her away from her life, her family, and her love, and she was forced into a life she had no choice over. My father succeeded, because you're standing right in front of me." he acknowledged, before smiling at her, "But you're not just a weapon for my father, or your father, Azula. You are your own person."</p><p>She turned away, unsure how to feel about his words; she wasn't just her father's prodigious daughter, she was the child he had created with the simple intent of making a great firebender. That did not paint a kind picture of her father, though she wasn't really surprised in the slightest; it hurt to acknowledge it, and she wondered if he had ever really wanted children for any other reason.</p><p>"I am Princess Azula." she acknowledged, before turning her eyes to face him, "But... I don't know anything about Avatar Roku... or my mother. All I know is what you've told me." she noted, before narrowing her eyes at him, "Are you telling me the truth?"</p><p>"Why would I lie to you, Azula?" he asked her, almost pleadingly, "I only want what is best for you."</p><p>"You want to upstage everything our family's done, for what? Because Lu Ten dying made you feel a shred of guilt over all the people you've killed?" she asked him rather bluntly, Iroh turning his face away, Azula immediately noticing the tears running down his cheeks; she didn't want to feel guilty, but for some reason, she couldn't help it- her uncle didn't deserve the harsh words she had told him, "U-Uncle... I'm sorry." she told him, stepping closer, "I just don't understand... I don't even know who I am... what you're telling me, it's crazy."</p><p>"It is." he agreed with her, "But that's the world we live in. People do crazy things. They break people's hearts, they destroy whole nations. They do it for greed, for love, for their sense of honour. People do things for lots of reasons, and I don't want you to think your existence is wrong. You are more than the sum of your parts."</p><p>She smiled at him, and felt the tears come down her cheeks, unsure how to feel about what she was hearing; perhaps it was liberating, to finally know something about herself, something she knew existed, but had little comprehension of. Of course, it hurt to know the selfish reasons for why she and Zuko were born in the first place, but that didn't change who she was. Azula did not think herself to merely be the daughter of Ozai, who set out to find the Avatar to bring honour to her name; she was the person who would bring honour to her name by stopping her father, and making sure that the future she could find herself in would not allow for the kinds of things that had happened to her family to occur again- both of them.</p>
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<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Heroism Is Hard Work</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>"Mai! Mai! You need to show us again!"</em>
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  <em>Mai didn't like to show off, unlike her two best friends, and though she didn't doubt she was good at throwing things, knives especially, she didn't feel comfortable being a spectacle. Refusing Ty Lee was a bad idea, given how she tended to pester both her and Azula whenever they didn't do something she wanted them to, so she knew she would have to give in. Her friend tugged on her sleeve, and made a pouty face, as she always would.</em>
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  <em>"Come on, it's really cool. You know it is."</em>
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  <em>"It's more fun when nobody's watching me." she retorted with a blank face, her friend rolling her eyes.</em>
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  <em>"I know that's a lie. You want to show your skills to somebody, don't you?" she asked her rhetorically, Mai shrugging her shoulders and stepping back from her friend.</em>
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  <em>Azula had been standing there with her arms crossed, seeming like she was waiting to pick sides in the 'argument', if one could even call it that; she was eyeing around the garden, before she pursed her lips, and that gave her some reason for concern. She would only ever pull that face when she had a devious idea in mind, and the Princess of the Fire Nation certainly enjoyed duping people, whether it was her and Ty Lee, or the palace servants. She turned her gaze over to where Azula had been looking, and realised that she was eyeing out her brother, who seemed to have been watching.</em>
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  <em>"Zuzu!" she called out to him, making the young Prince cringe; Mai didn't blame him, given no-one his age would want a nickname that made him seem like a baby, "You want to see Mai knock an apple off Ty Lee's head, don't you?"</em>
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  <em>He looked at her with confusion, before glancing up and down the hall he had been walking down; he shrugged his shoulders, and then began to approach, making Mai a little nervous. Azula probably wanted him to watch, so that if her friend made a mistake, he'd probably try and sympathise with her, and then Ty Lee and Azula would make fun of her. The Prince did seem to like her as a person, or at the very least, found her more tolerable than Ty Lee; she didn't blame him for feeling that, given how boisterous her friend could be at times.</em>
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  <em>"Well, it's better than just doing nothing." Zuko answered his sister's question, before turning his eyes to Mai, "So, what are you going to knock it off with?" he asked her, before furrowing a brow, "A knife? You like knives." he recalled, the usually stoic girl glancing away, as if she were looking for a tool, when really she didn't want to look his way when he might notice how nervous she was feeling- there was actual pressure now that he was watching.</em>
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  <em>"How about you use this?" Azula reached over to her brother, snatching something from his belt; she noted that it was some kind of dagger, and she drew it from its hilt before Zuko even had a chance to get it back.</em>
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  <em>"Hey! That's my dagger, not yours!" he snarled at his sister, who blew her tongue at him mockingly.</em>
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  <em>"It's the only thing here that isn't a stick." she excused her action, "Are you going to let her use it, or is that not allowed, Zuzu?" she leaned closer to her brother with a smug look on her face.</em>
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  <em>He rolled his eyes, and raised his hands to push her away from his face, "Don't take my things." he warned her, before he turned his gaze to Mai, "Yeah, you can use it." he rather nonchalantly gave her permission, "Just don't stab Ty Lee." he warned her, the stoic girl pursing her lips upward ever so slightly.</em>
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  <em>"I won't." she assured him, a small promise that she was certainly going to keep.</em>
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  <em>She raised her hand up, and Azula placed the dagger in it, before she gestured to Ty Lee, who put another apple on her head; it was better to throw a real blade than a stick. Azula had suggested earlier on that they could go to the palace armoury to get her some actual knives to use, but she refused, knowing that doing that might annoy some people in the palace, and then she and Ty Lee mightn't be able to come visit again. She balanced Zuko's dagger in her hand, getting a feel for its weight; it was heavier than her usual blades, but not by much, so she knew she'd have to compensate slightly when she threw it.</em>
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  <em>"I'm ready." Ty Lee assured her, "Go!" she raised her hands up, the apple barely balanced on her scalp.</em>
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  <em>Without a second thought, Mai threw the dagger up into the air, making it spin around, much to the surprise of Azula and Zuko, who watched it spin down back toward her hand. She grabbed it by the blade with ease, now holding it above her head, before she tossed it right at the apple, aiming just above the stem. It struck right in the middle of the apple, splitting it in two as the blade and apple both flew back behind Ty Lee's head, landing in the pond behind her. As the apple landed in the pond, Azula clapped her hands, and turned to face her with a smirk, silently approving of her skill; she would take that as the closest thing she could get to a compliment.</em>
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  <em>"Wow." Zuko gasped, eyes wide with awe, "That was pretty cool." he complimented her, making Mai blink a few times, wondering how she ought to respond; she simply decided to play it cool, and silently approached the fountain, going to retrieve his weapon for him.</em>
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  <em>Ty Lee had already turned around and fished it out of the water, flicking it around to get the water off, "That was pretty scary, but I knew you'd get it." Ty Lee smirked at her, "I wonder how far you can throw it."</em>
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  <em>"I don't want to accidentally hit you." she clarified, before she reached her hand out, wanting her to give her the dagger back.</em>
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  <em>Her friend gave it to her, and she turned around to face the two royal siblings, noting that Azula was whispering to Zuko, though clearly in a way where it wasn't meant to be secretive, but rather, to get Mai's attention. The stoic girl tried to ignore it, knowing that her friend was up to no good; whatever kind of game she was playing with her and her brother, it was clearly not dagger-throwing. She seemingly was trying to get one of them to confess something to the other that she would find rather amusing, and Mai would not have a bar of it. She kept her lips sealed as she approached, and offered the dagger back to Zuko, who had already snatched the sheath out of his sister's grasp.</em>
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  <em>He accepted it with a small nod, before he turned to face his sister, "So are you going to shoot an apple off with your firebending or something?" he guessed, the Princess pursing her lips upward.</em>
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  <em>"Oh... what a great idea, Zuko." she agreed to his proposition with a smirk.</em>
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  <em>Both Mai and Zuko looked at each other momentarily, and she could see how his expression mirrored her own; he clearly knew she was up to no good, but wasn't confident enough in his thoughts to accuse her of anything.</em>
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  <em>"Mai, how about you stand with the apple on your head." she suggested, making her tense up, wondering how well she could shoot the apple off- she didn't want a burning apple on her head, of all places.</em>
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  <em>"Can I say no?" she asked her, almost rhetorically, as she presumed the question was a command to begin with.</em>
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  <em>"Well, you'd just be a bad sport then, wouldn't you?" she prodded her, "Come back, Ty Lee. It's Mai's turn." she called back their friend, who almost danced back to them, cartwheeling before landing right in front of the trio.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She won't even flinch." she proposed to the Princess, before gesturing toward her friend, "Mai's as tough as... uh, what's the stone from volcanoes?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Basalt." Mai gave her the word she was looking for, her friend grinning widely at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes! That's it!" she agreed with her, "And Azula's like the best firebender ever, so she'll do it easy, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I am." the Princess smirked, her brother's face shifting momentarily into a snarl, before he turned away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mai could understand why he was jealous of his sister's firebending, though, she personally wouldn't want to deal with the pressure that came with her prodigy; she already dealt with enough from both her parents to consider what it would be like if she was a great firebender like her friend. She then glanced over toward the bag of apples, which sat nearby the pond; she paced over to it, drew out an apple, and weighed it up, wondering how still she'd need to stand for it to sit on her head. Placing it on top of her head, she turned her eyes back to her friends as she tried to remain motionless; it wasn't that hard, but the apple clearly didn't want to stay up on her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She focused on Azula's form as she tried her best to remain as still as possible; the Princess spun herself around, before shooting a small bolt of flames right above her head. It didn't hit her, thankfully, but she was more concerned when she realised the apple hadn't actually been hit off her head, but simply set on fire. She raised her hands to knock it off of her head, and saw that Zuko was rushing toward her, presumably wanting to whack it off of her head; himself she put her hands in front of her, and tried to warn him to stop, but he didn't. As he ran at her, he tripped over, and Mai barely was able to step out of his way as he face-planted on the ground, the apple falling off of her head as she swerved out of the way. Azula's laughter echoed throughout the courtyard as she cackled at her brother's misfortune, and all eyes fell to the Prince, who was laying face-first on the ground, recoiling from the sudden fall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ow." he mumbled, Mai cringing slightly, realising that he had done all that to try and help her; she shot Azula an annoyed glance, knowing that she purposefully set the apple on fire, before she knelt down, offering Zuko a hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you hurt?" she simply asked him, the Prince shaking his head as he dusted himself off; she knew he was lying, and was pretty sure his nose was bleeding, as he immediately turned away from her to wipe it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko, now that's what I call being a hero." Azula congratulated her brother, "Heroes lose, because they don't think about what they're doing." she warned him, Ty Lee placing a hand on her shoulder.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think he actually got hurt there." she warned her with a quiet voice, obviously not wanting to agitate Azula, though clearly sympathising with the Prince's accident.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I didn't." he retorted, before pointing at Azula, "How about you get the apple on your head, Azula? How would you like that?" he questioned his sister, who shrugged her shoulders.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're not going to try and save me, are you, Mister Hero?" she jokingly asked him, making the Prince snarl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was just trying to help!" he shouted at her, Mai stepping between them, knowing that their argument might quickly escalate to a mock Agni Kai, or perhaps a real one; they were both so cocky and boisterous, that it was practically inevitable they'd start throwing fireballs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How about no more apples?" she contended to the Princess, "There's other games we can play."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Acrobatics?" Ty Lee asked them with a grin, Mai narrowing her eyes at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's not a game." she corrected her, before eyeing Zuko, "Do you know any games that involve acrobatics?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why would I?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because you like to climb around on rooftops at night." she clarified, making his eyes widen, now looking nervous in realising they knew about his little escapades; the Princess had told them about it, having been confused as to why he did them in the first place.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You told them?" he asked, before cringing, turning his eyes away; he looked conflicted as to whether to argue with his sister or to simply say nothing, but instead, he raised a finger, "Fine, I have a game." he decided, Ty Lee leaning forward with an intrigued look on her face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oooh... what is it?" she asked him, the Prince gesturing up toward the eaves of the roofing that surrounded the garden on every side.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"See who can climb to the messenger hawk coop the fastest." he suggested, before eyeing both his sister's friends, "But you guys mightn't know where that is." he noted their lack of knowledge, "Uh, how about this instead... tag, but... well, you get to climb and run wherever you like."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh... sounds fun." Ty Lee grinned, before tapping him on the forehead, the Prince grunting as he was forced to stumble back, "You're it!"</em>
</p><hr/><p>As he was no longer aching all over his body, or at least, much less than he was a few days prior, Zuko was more than comfortable dealing with the issue of gaining employment on a freight ship that was bound for the colonies. He and Mai didn't have any documentation, so he knew he'd have to try and play the act well of being a poor street urchin with skills suitable for working on a ship; the deck of the ship they were on was still full of crewmen, loading the vessel full of crates of goods, and he and his friend had to stand off to the side to avoid getting a box thrown into their faces. She didn't seem very comfortable with so many people on the deck, though the only way he could tell that was that her expression showed the slightest annoyance as she leaned up against the wall of the superstructure, flicking a knife around in her hand.</p><p>They were waiting for the First Mate, who they had met on the docks a few hours earlier, and assured him of their usefulness on his ship; he seemed moderately convinced, though he voiced his concern that their inexperience might make them more of a burden than useful workers. He was intent on proving otherwise, though, until the man made his presence known, he and Mai simply had to stand on the deck, and await him. They had come aboard at nightfall, when they were told the ship was going to prepare to leave, but he was sure that it would still be sitting in port until long after twilight, given the large amount of goods still sitting on the dock. Zuko had tied his hair up properly, back into his usual phoenix tail, given that the simple topknot made Mai uncomfortable; given that his father had tried to have them killed, he could understand her unease at the physical similarity. He did wonder whether anybody recognised him, but seeing that nobody had given him any odd looks, he doubted that was the case. The only person who took any consideration was the First Mate, who asked him if he had gotten into a fight recently.</p><p>"If I have to stand here any longer, I'm going to just go find him." Mai simply explained her thoughts, "He's wasting our time."</p><p>"We wasted a few days hiding. An hour or two can't be that bad." he tried to offer her another point of view, before sighing, "But yeah, you're right. We should probably go find him."</p><p>She narrowed her eyes at him, and pointed her knife in his direction, "For somebody who nearly got killed a few days ago, you're pretty calm."</p><p>"Uh." he mumbled, not knowing how to respond to that observation; he was still worried about his father's men, but given that they hadn't been found yet, he was letting himself relax, if only because he hated the feeling of dread that he had had when they first hid in the catacombs under the capital, "Well, we're on a ship." he noted their improved situation, "If we were still in that warehouse, maybe I'd be more worried."</p><p>She turned her eyes away from him, and sighed, "Those letters better have gotten to Azula and Ty Lee." she spoke her thoughts, rather quietly, obviously not wanting to mention his sister's name so casually- people would know it, just like they would know his own name.</p><p>"Messenger hawks take time." he noted, before glancing down wondering what his sister might think of everything that had happened, "She's not going to like what's happening."</p><p>"Your sister?" Mai turned back to face him, the Prince nodding, making her raise her chin up, "Well, nobody wants to fight their father, do they?"</p><p>"No, they don't." he shook his head, knowing himself far too weak a firebender to beat his father; maybe with some help, he could stand a chance, but he wasn't going to consider such possibilities until he found his uncle, "Maybe he'll go after her too." he touted the possibility, making his friend tense her grip on the knife she was holding.</p><p>"That's how you really piss off Azula." she warned him, "Your father wouldn't be that dumb, would he?"</p><p>"Oh, he's not dumb... just really arrogant." he acknowledged, before covering his face, realising that both of them had that in common; to come to think of it, everybody in their family was pretty arrogant, except for Lu Ten, and his uncle, at least after Ba Sing Se, that was, "This is my fault." he acknowledged, "I'm an idiot sometimes."</p><p>"Well, you are. But you didn't think he'd know as much as he did." she noted, "We both thought it could happen, and it did."</p><p>"Yeah." he responded softly, realising that his arrogance really had played in his downfall; he could still be sitting in the palace if he had simply restrained himself, and not gone as fast as he had after his father.</p><p>He knew, however, that if he had done that, it was more than likely his uncle would have had no idea about the assassins coming after him, and there would be no way for him to know about the conspiracy that loomed over them all.</p><p>"Hey, you two. Hishu and... uh, Kaman?" the First Mate addressed them, incorrectly recalling Zuko's fake-name, Kamen; he'd just randomly chosen it from a few names he'd heard on the street, and Mai had done the same.</p><p>"Kamen." he corrected him, "Did you want us to do some work now, sir?" he asked him, making the First Mate snicker.</p><p>"Ohohoh... there's no sir here." he clarified, before patting him on the shoulder, "But thanks for the respect." he conceded, making the Prince purse his lips upward.</p><p>The better terms he could find himself on with the men running the ship, the better a chance they'd have getting around easily, and not rousing any suspicion when they inevitably had to leave the ship so they could reach Shu Jing. They could go all the way to the colonies, given that was where the ship was going, but they'd have no money, little supplies, and no information concerning his uncle and sister. With Piandao's help, he guessed they'd have a little luck in those areas.</p><p>"So, I'd like to see what work you two can do." he acknowledged, "Is there anything in particular either of you are good at?"</p><p>"Climbing." Zuko clarified, before grimacing slightly, as he realised he hadn't done any climbing since the explosion, other than that short chase earlier that day; he then glanced up the superstructure of the ship, "So, if you need somebody to clean the windows of the bridge, I'm your guy."</p><p>"Really?" he raised a brow, Mai stepping past the First Mate to point to a rope that was tied up by the wall.</p><p>"He can show you, can't you, Kamen?" she asked Zuko, who nodded; the First Mate gave him a thumbs up, signalling his approval, before he glanced around the deck.</p><p>"Somebody get me a bucket of water and rag!" he called on the men on the deck, one of the men pacing off toward the staircase, presumably to go retrieve just that for him.</p><p>The Prince turned back to face the First Mate, who had an intrigued look on his face; he seemed like he was going to ask him another question, and sure enough he did.</p><p>"You look like you're not in the best condition. Why did you offer to climb of all things?" he asked the Prince, who gave him a reassuring smile.</p><p>He wasn't happy, but he wanted to make sure he could prove himself on the ship, to at the very least ensure that they might be able to ingratiate themselves and find safety on the ship. He knew that if his father started to send people after him, he'd need to try and gain people's trust, so that they would cover for him and Mai, if it became necessary.</p><p>"Because I'm here to work." he assured him, "I can do it."</p><p>"Well, let's see." the First Mate crossed his arms, before turning to eye Mai for a moment, "Are you two from around here?"</p><p>"Does it really matter?" she quipped in retort, making the man cringing slightly, averting his eyes from her cold, stoic gaze.</p><p>"I was just trying to make conversation." he admitted, before turning his eyes to the Prince, "Your girlfriend isn't very social, I assume."</p><p>Zuko lurched forward upon hearing that very comment; it wasn't because of the First Mate's astute observation, but rather, because he referred to Mai as his girlfriend. He could see her in the corner of his eye, and saw how she turned her face away, not responding to the comment; he didn't know whether to feel saddened or relieved about that. He certainly wasn't looking for a girlfriend, and he did like her, but he knew that romance was far from his mind when he was just trying to make it out of the capital alive and well.</p><p>The First Mate grasped by the shoulder, and tried to hold the Prince steady, who to any outside observer, might have seemed like he was about to collapse, "Are you alright?" he asked him, Zuko tapping his shoulder to assure him that he was fine.</p><p>"Everything's fine." he assured him, before eyeing Mai, "Um..." he mumbled awkwardly, wanting to talk about something so they could get their minds off of the First Mate's unintentional comment about their relationship, or the ambiguity thereof, "Do you know what kind of work she can do?"</p><p>"Oh, well, I don't know what you're good at, Miss." he directly addressed her, "Do you have any skills that might be of use on this ship?"</p><p>"I have a good eye and memory." she succinctly described her skills, ignoring those associated with her ability to fight, and well at that, "Does that help you?"</p><p>"Well, I don't think the quartermaster is in need of an assistant, but if need be, I would say you could help him." he noted, before cringing slightly, "Honestly, whatever basic work you know how to do would help."</p><p>"Cleaning furnishings, clothes, and floors." she named one thing she could do, which he assumed came from doing simple chores around the house; Zuko wasn't much better off than her in that regard, and she eyed him in thought, "And I can climb as well... not as well as him."</p><p>The First Mate nodded, having a better understanding of her skills, before he glanced up the deck, "Where's that bucket?" he rhetorically asked, voicing his frustrations with having to wait, before he turned back to face Mai, "You'll go well in the kitchen and dining areas then. Most of the work is just cleaning up; our cooks would be able to spend more time focusing on meals instead of on cleaning up after." he noted a potential job for her to do, before scrunching his lips up, "Does that work?"</p><p>"Do I have a choice?" she retorted; Zuko was almost amused by how blunt she was being with the First Mate, but just like him, she wanted to make a move on and get started.</p><p>"No, not really." he acknowledged, before turning his eyes up the deck again, noting the crew member who had gone below deck approaching them, with a bucket of water in one hand and a rag in the other "Ah, finally. What took you so long?"</p><p>"Rags and buckets aren't in the same place." he excused himself, before placing the bucket and rag down in front of him, Zuko picking up the former before he eyed the rope that was tied up on the wall of the superstructure.</p><p>"So, are you going to do it?" the First Mate asked him, sounding almost excited to see what the Prince would do; he turned back to face him, and gestured up toward the top of the superstructure, which was covered with glass pane windows.</p><p>"I need to hook the rope up to something first. Is there anything up the top I can hook this too?" he asked, gesturing to the rope, which he began to uncoil from its mount.</p><p>"There's a bar up the top you could tie it around." he explained, the Princes nodding, before he moved to approach the wall, "Wait, you're not going to take the stairs?"</p><p>"I told you I'm good at climbing." Zuko stressed the point, before he tied the rope around his waist, beginning to climb up the various edges on the wall of the superstructure; windowsills, exposed beams, steel bolts protruding out from the wall- anything he could get his feet and hands firmly on.</p><p>Given his burns, he found it a little harder than usual to keep up his pace, but got to the top of the superstructure, which wasn't that tall, at least compared to what he'd seen on some other ships. The Royal Family used massive vessels that made the cargo ship they were travelling on seem almost small in comparison, despite the massive holds and breadth of the hull. He tied the end of the rope in a knot around a bar on the roof of the superstructure, and momentarily glanced around the port that he could see around him; there were hundreds of people, moving goods, and getting on and off of ships. He knew that there was little chance he and Mai had been spotted, and the pure number of people in the area assured him of the unlikelihood of it.</p><p>The First Mate looked up at Zuko with a surprised face, and raised a hand, "Well, you can climb, kid, I'll give you that." he conceded, "Could you come down and actually get the bucket?" he asked, the Prince frowning slightly, remembering that he was actually going to show his ability to clean the windows, not just show off his athleticism; he knew he'd actually have to do some work, but as he faced the thought of it, he silently wished he had never gone to his father's meeting spot.</p><p>He knew that opposing him was in the best interests of the Fire Nation, but he couldn't help but think what he was going to have to go through, losing his privileges and comforts as a Prince, wasn't something he was going to enjoy. He'd probably hate it, but at the very least, he could see what he was going to do and accept the situation for what it was; he and Mai had to survive, after all, and they had done a good job so far.</p><p>He grasped the rope, and wound it around his waist, before he grasped it tightly, ready to descend down to the deck. He had to keep a grasp on the wall to avoid moving down too fast, as that would leave a nasty burn on his right hand; nothing in comparison to the pain he felt in the aftermath of that explosion, but a pain he still sought to avoid. Zuko moved as fast as he could down the wall, keeping his feet firmly placed on it, making it feel as if he were walking backwards down the wall, which disorienting to the point he almost felt sick; the lack of food in his stomach assured him that he wouldn't be throwing up anything onto the deck if it got any worse. When he reached the deck, he turned to look at the First Mate, who held the bucket in his hand, and Mai, who was eyeing him with interest; whether she was impressed, or whether she was just focusing on him for lack of anything more interesting was hard to tell, but part of him hoped that she was the former.</p><p>"Okay, Kamen, take that bucket and rag, and get to work. I'll take... uh, sorry, Hishi, is it?" he asked the stoic girl, who stepped forward.</p><p>"To the kitchen?" she preempted his decision, "It's already after dark, so you'll be feeding the crew soon, right?" she deduced, the First Mate nodding, clearly impressed by her quick analysis.</p><p>"Yes, that's right." he confirmed, before Zuko took the bucket into his hand, "You do all those windows, and I might try and get you some extra dinner, how about that?"</p><p>"Uh, thanks, but I'll just stick to whatever everybody else is having. Jealous crewmen might cut the rope when I'm cleaning, otherwise." he told him what he thought rather bluntly; not getting attention, especially of that kind, was his goal, outside of ingratiating himself on the ship.</p><p>"Uh... I'd say I respect your humility, but shit... you must come from some fucked up place to think that."</p><p>"Oh, you'd never guess where." the Prince tried to hold back a laugh, realising the irony of what the First Mate had just said; he could see the small smile on Mai's face when he said that, though it quickly disappeared, "I'll do your windows, uh... you said you didn't like being called sir. What's your name?"</p><p>"Jishang." he clarified, before pointing to the doorway into the superstructure, "Just follow me. I'll show you where you and your boyfriend will be staying." he explained, Zuko turning away once more at being referred to as her boyfriend; Mai looked his way, and pursed her lips ever so slightly, probably just amused by the embarrassment he was feeling.</p><p>"Well, let's go then." she gestured at the doorway, stepping toward it, "I do want to be able to go to bed tonight, Jishang." she explained, the First mate nodding, and striding on behind her, before he raised a hand toward the Prince.</p><p>"Good luck." he simply farewelled him before he and Mai entered the superstructure, presumably heading to the crew quarters below them.</p><p>"Thanks." he mumbled, knowing he didn't really need to respond if he'd already gone inside, before he glanced up toward the top of the superstructure, where all the windows sat, "Well, let's get on with it." he whispered to himself, before doing just that.</p><p>He grasped the bucket in one hand, before tying it to a portion of the rope near ground level, allowing him to hoist it up; of course, that would require him to be at the top of the superstructure, so the Prince immediately got to work, and climbed up as fast as he could. Unsurprisingly, it was easier with a rope to hold onto, and quickly enough, he reached the top of the ship once more. He took a deep breath, glancing back out across the deck of the ship below him, and noted how quickly everybody was moving the goods aboard, which was helped by the fact the front of the ship opened up and allowed for things to be moved up without need for a crane or anything complex like that. He knew they'd be leaving port soon enough, and after that, he'd need to go to bed, after eating dinner.</p><p>He pulled the bucket up, winding up the rope behind him, before he got it within his arms reach; he then pulled the bucket up onto the roof, and untied it from the rope. He then readjusted the rope, allowing him to lay a small portion down which he tied the bucket to, while the larger length of the rope could lay down the wall, past the windows. He tied the rope around his waist and arm once more, allowing himself to drop down slightly, wedging his feet into the base of one of the mental panels that formed the walls of the bridge. With the bucket within arms reach, he pulled out the wet rag, and began to get to work, splashing the window in front of him with water, before wiping it down.</p><p>He could see a few sailors inside the bridge, probably checking the instruments on the ship before they left port, and they were clearly surprised by his presence. The light emanating from inside helped him have a clear look on where the dirt, grim and dust was building up, and thus, made it easier to wash away. He found his position, held up by a rope that was pulling on his waist rather tightly to be uncomfortable, but he tolerated it, knowing that it was better than being dead, or perhaps worse, rotting away in a prison, away from the shine of the sun which gave him all the strength he'd need. It wasn't light out, so his inner fire was dimmer, and thus, his strength was sapped; that did make him waiver, however, simply thinking what it would be like to sleep on an actual bed after being cooped up in a dirty, hard-floored warehouse for a few days.</p><p>Zuko thought as to what he was doing, and remembered that when he had been younger, he had wanted to go explore the world. Perhaps it was because his home life was so straining and frustrating, but he knew that some part of him just wanted to get away. He knew that even if the threat of spies, assassins and conspiracy were looming high over him, hanging over those windows, Zuko was the most free he'd ever been in his life, and for the first time, could smile in thinking that his father had failed. He wasn't under his control, and neither was he going to do his bidding, not after what he had done; the path ahead was to be his, and his alone.</p><hr/><p>With the warm light of the campfire flickering in front of him, Sokka let out a little yawn, feeling like the day was practically over; he would have preferred to just go to sleep, but dinner was still being cooked in the pot, so he would have to wait. His stomach grumbled slightly, but he didn't try to do anything about it. They only had a few snacks with them, and if he had to eat them, then he'd just end up wasting the money Bumi gave them. Thus with little other option, he leaned back onto the ground, placing his hands behind his head, so he could look up to the starry night sky above them.</p><p>"Thinking of something, Sokka?" Aang asked him, the Water Tribe teen chuckling, glancing over to his right, where the young Avatar was sitting cross-legged.</p><p>"Dinner." he gave the first response that came to mind, making his sister laugh at him from across the campfire.</p><p>"Of course it is. Sokka hasn't eaten for what, two hours, and all he can think of is food."</p><p>"What? Everybody needs it." he argued in return, rising up from the ground to meet her amused face with his eyes, "You can't tell me you don't want dinner right now."</p><p>"Well..." she turned her gaze away before shaking her head, "Fine. I am hungry." she admitted, making Sokka pointing at her with a smug grin, enjoying his momentary victory for all it was worth.</p><p>"Aha! See, I am right! Let me be hungry in peace." he simply requested, before lying back down once more, glancing back up toward the stars.</p><p>"The stars are pretty tonight." Aang observed, "Now that we're away from the city, there's nothing to block out all that light."</p><p>"At the South Pole, unless there was a blizzard, you could usually see the stars if it was dark. It was a little weird coming to a place like Omashu- nobody can see the stars because of all the smoke from their houses." Sokka explained his thoughts on the matter, understanding that those people living in Omashu might have a very different view of the stars to someone like himself, as he saw them on a regular basis.</p><p>"Huh... I never really thought about that." the young Air Nomad admitted, "I guess people don't really know what they're missing out on until they find it."</p><p>"You know... that's a pretty good argument for you to try eating meat." Sokka smugly suggested, the Avatar crossing his arms, raising his chin up in defiance.</p><p>"Well, you could try vegetarianism too." he counted his point, making the Water Tribe warrior scrunch his lips up in thought.</p><p>"Hmph." Sokka mumbled, wondering whether his preposition was worth taking up; he didn't want to force Aang to eat something he didn't like, especially for moral reasons- though he found no issue with killing and eating animals, his friend clearly did, "How about we just eat what we like?"</p><p>"Yeah, I can go with that." he agreed, before glancing over toward the pot, "When will the rice be ready?"</p><p>"Soon." Katara assured him, "Just be a little patient."</p><p>"Uh... yeah, patience." he mumbled, sounding almost a little skeptical of her advice; he then turned his eyes over to the Water Tribe boy once more, looking as if he had a question, but couldn't stomach saying it.</p><p>His wordless gazing continued on for a little while, before Sokka made a whistle, breaking Aang's silence, "Huh? Did you want something?"</p><p>"That's the question I'm meant to ask. You seem... a little confused." he acknowledged, before crossing his arms, "You seem like you've got a problem."</p><p>"Uh... you're always telling us how to be more cautious... you know, like what happened on Kyoshi Island."</p><p>"Yeah, I have good instincts." Sokka reframed what he was saying, "And what of it? Did you want to learn how to not get yourself into situations like the one with that Princess again?"</p><p>"Well..." he mumbled, before cringing, "I was thinking more how I can better be the Avatar. I can't just sit around and do nothing with what's been going on... that's, well, obvious." he raised his hands up to emphasise the point.</p><p>"Yeah, I get that." he nodded, "Aang, you're the Avatar. You're one of the most important people in the world, but you've got to learn a lot of stuff before you can really help people. I know you want to- that's how I felt when I was raining those boys in the village. But I realise... maybe it was kind of pointless, because I didn't have any real way to stop the Fire Nation. Just me and my boomerang." he explained, before cringing, realising how foolish he had been when he had tried to train those kids; what happened on Kyoshi Island, which was protected by elite, skilled warriors, proved that his feeble training would have done nothing to stop their enemies.</p><p>"Yeah." Aang nodded, making a small smile, "That's why we've got to go to the North Pole, so me and Katara can learn waterbending."</p><p>"And then earthbending, and then even firebending. Urgh, that's going to be a pain." he noted, rememebering how much he disdained firebenders, and the assumption that he'd have to be stuck around one if they were training Aang- how they'd find a master for him was already enough of an issue.</p><p>From what he had learned at their meeting with the Order of the White Lotus, there were firebenders willing to train Aang, though getting to them would be a challenge, given most of them were living in the Fire Nation, or their occupied territories in the Earth Kingdom.</p><p>"Well, maybe it won't be that hard to find a master." Aang suggested, making Sokka immediately lean up, figuring out what he meant without putting much thought into it.</p><p>"No." he refuted his unspoken idea, "You might as well ask the Fire Lord to be your firebending master at that point. They're the enemy; she probably would refuse to do it anyway."</p><p>"You know, the Fire Lord might be a really good bender. Maybe he can teach me, if he's as likeable as Bumi made out."</p><p>"I don't trust them." Katara spoke up, "Anybody can be nice to somebody else's face, but they're Fire Nation, Aang. They conquered the world; the Fire Lord's the guy who conquered Ba Sing Se, you know that, right?"</p><p>"I know..." he mumbled, "But if he's friends with Bumi, he really can't be that bad. Bumi's a good guy."</p><p>"Maybe he's wise." Sokka suggested, "But being wise doesn't make you nice, or good."</p><p>"I guess that does kinda describe Azula." Aang mumbled, before shrugging his shoulders, "Well, there might be other people."</p><p>"Yeah, not everybody in the Fire Nation is going to be for the war." Katara acknowledged, "I mean, they can't all be that evil, can they?"</p><p>"No, just ignorant." Sokka acknowledged, "I thought Aang was a Fire Nation spy... because of all the things I was told about them. They probably just think they're the good guys... I mean, that doesn't make them evil, it just makes them dumb."</p><p>"I mean, calling a whole nation dumb is pretty mean, Sokka." Aang tried to argue in the favour of the enemy, making the Water Tribe teen roll his eyes.</p><p>"Urgh, I didn't mean it like that. They're just stupid for trying to conquer the world, not stupid in general."</p><p>"Okay, I can agree with that." he came to a common ground, before leaning over the pot, "It smells ready, Katara." he noted, the Water Tribe girl nodding, confirming their long-awaited dinner to be ready.</p><p>"About time." the Water Tribesman snidely added, before pulling himself up.</p><p>He glanced over toward the pot, which his sister was reaching into with a spoon, pulling out some of the rice stew, which she placed into a bowl, giving it to Aang first, before she pulled out some more and put it into another bowl, giving it to her brother. He accepted it with a nod, before he picked up some of the chopsticks they'd laid out to use; Sokka didn't relent to begin digging into his dinner, and licked his lips after having a good few bites. It didn't taste the best, in his opinion due to the lack of meat, but he certainly wasn't complaining.</p><p>The rice would fill his stomach well, and he would sleep soundly after dinner, hopefully not to be woken up by his sister or Aang at daybreak; he was still afraid of the 'snake trick' being used on him again. The various permutations his sister and the Air Nomad boy had used on him were quickly getting old, as he continued to wake up frightened or in a panic, thinking himself in danger. He was about half way through the bowl when he was interrupted by Appa growling; Sokka chuckled, thinking the sky-bison might have wanted some dinner too, which was a little confusing, given how little rice there was, relative to such a big creature like himself.</p><p>"Oh, what's wrong, did you want some too, buddy?" the Air Nomad bot asked his sky-bison, who turned around slightly, and growled once more, louder this time.</p><p>The Water Tribe warrior turned to face his sister, and she had the face he would expect; the Fire Nation could be coming for them at that very moment, and they had no time to prepare, or to even escape.</p><p>"Sokka, what do we do?" she asked him timidly as she rose to her feet, Aang doing the same as he eyed his glider staff, which was sitting by their tent.</p><p>The Water Tribe warrior reached for his boomerang which was slung over his back, and narrowed his eyes on the land around them, try to take note of any discrepancies in the terrain; there were a few few bushes and trees in the mountain valley they had camped in, and thus, not much places to hide in that regard. He did notice, however, the sign of campfire smoke in the distance, suggesting the Fire Nation really was nearby.</p><p>"Use their strength against them." he recalled the main lesson he had learned from Suki.</p><p>"And what's that?" the young Avatar asked him, sounding both interested and afraid.</p><p>"Destroying everything." he simply put it, before he took a fighting stance, just waiting for one of the enemy to reveal themselves; Appa had clearly noticed them, and was moving around, making a low growl that suggested he was agitated, and more than that, that they were surrounded.</p><p>Suddenly he heard a few footsteps behind him, and Sokka immediately turned around to throw his boomerang at the origin of the sounds; he struck a darkly dressed man in the head, though it didn't do as much damage as he would have liked, given he was wearing a metal helmet. The man was thrown to the ground, however, but they quickly had more to worry about, as about a dozen men, firebenders and non-benders alike, charged out from the darkness to attack them.</p><p>The Avatar immediately spun his hands around, conjuring a cyclical gust of wind which was thrown out right toward some of the enemies, throwing them back into the trees and bushes that sat behind them. Sokka raised his fist triumphantly, proud of his friend's quick work, before he drew out his club, ready to block the weapons wielded by their attackers. He blocked an attack by a pike-wielding soldier, before he struck its wielder on the rear side of his right knee, which was one of the only uncovered parts of the man's body, barring his face. He cried out with pain, and Sokka quickly tripped him over, making the soldier face-plant on the ground.</p><p>"Nice try." he mocked his opponent, before ducking under a fireball that was aimed at his head; he turned around, and noticed that his sister was holding his boomerang in hand, and raised it up, indicating she was going to throw it to him.</p><p>"Sokka, catch!" she tossed it his way, inadvertently setting it into a careening motion; he knew he'd cut his hand if he actually tried to catch it, so instead, he ducked down and just let physics do the fighting for him, watching as the boomerang flew over him, striking a soldier who was about to attack him square in the chest, throwing him backwards.</p><p>He didn't relent to seize the opportunity, and used his club to whack him in the shins, making him fall down to his knees, where it was far easier to kick him in the guts; the soldier was practically incapacitated at that point, and Sokka knew that sooner or later, they'd all need to get on Appa to flee, even if that meant leaving their cooking equipment and tents behind. Firebenders were giving Aang a serious challenge, barraging him two at a time with fireballs, from every possible angle at that. He knew he would have to help him so they could at the very least escape, and so, he picked his boomerang off of the ground, and readied it in hand, not wanting to waste another moment.</p><p>He threw it into one of the soldiers head, making him fall over onto his comrade, momentarily distracting the other soldiers, "Get to Appa!" he called on Aang and his sister, the latter having already picked up what she could, and tossed it back onto the saddle; Appa himself was throwing his tail around, forcing the soldiers to stay back, and the Avatar took Sokka's advice, immediately bee-lining toward his sky-bison.</p><p>The Water Tribesman let himself smile, relieved that he'd gotten away, and immediately dashed to grab his boomerang off the ground; before he could reach it, suddenly he saw a bright light to his right hand side, and raised his club up to block a large fire blast, seemingly conjured right out of their campfire. He didn't have much time to comprehend it as he was thrown onto his back, his head hitting the ground, making him groan in pain; he tried to pull himself back up, but found himself kicked in the guts but one of the soldiers, flinging Sokka onto his belly.</p><p>"Urgh." he groaned, realising that fighting was a lot harder than he first suspected it would be; he heard his sister cry out his name, but Sokka couldn't do anything but raised his hands to cover his face, hoping to stop himself from getting pummelled.</p><p>"Get the beast!" he heard one of the soldiers command the others, and Sokka momentarily glanced over toward the sky-bison, noticing that soldiers were surrounding it; with no other thought in mind, he shouted out the one thing he knew would help his friends and keep them, along with Appa, from getting roasted by a bunch of firebenders.</p><p>"Yip-yip!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, Katara reaching out over the saddle, wanting to try and help her brother, but having little ability to do so; her waterbending couldn't help him now, of all times.</p><p>Another soldier kicked him again, the Water Tribesman lurching in pain; he didn't want to cry, and looked up above himself, seeing the sky-bison rising up into the air, and realised that the firebenders had drawn their attention to bending at Appa. He grit his teeth and swung his right leg up, kicking one of his attackers in the shin, before he leapt up to his feet, charging at one of the firebenders, hoping to at the very least, lessen the barrage that was going to be sent toward his friends. He tackled one of the firebenders to the ground, knocking his helmet off by the force, before he rammed his elbow into the man's chin, making his teeth clatter violently. The Water Tribesman could only smirk as he saw the sky-bison continue upward, but that smirk quickly faded as he was struck by the side by a fireball, flung off the man he'd just tackled. He writhed in pain, and patted his side, not wanting his tunic to set on fire; luckily, it was only singed, as was his skin, but it still hurt, given how forceful the blast had been.</p><p>"Hold him down!" he heard one of the soldiers command, Sokka hiding his hands grasped and pulled behind his back, leaving him unable to do much but kick his legs around, hitting the soldiers in their feet, "They'll come back for him." the soldier spoke up once more, the Water Tribe warrior grimacing as he looked up toward the man he presumed to command the unit of soldiers, "The Water Tribe aren't the kind to leave their own to die." he noted with a slight smirk, which made Sokka tense up, remembering that his father and the other warriors were out fighting the Fire Nation, helping what remained of the Earth Kingdom after the fall of Ba Sing Se; perhaps the soldier had faced his father's warriors, or his father himself.</p><p>"Yeah." he agreed with his point, "I'm a pretty good hostage." he defended his position, which he hoped would give them incentives to leave him relatively unharmed.</p><p>"Ah, chatty, are we?" one of the soldiers who was holding him down mocked him, before jabbing him in the back of the head, forcing Sokka's face into the dirt, which he almost accidentally ate in recoil from the hit.</p><p>"Chain him up, and burn the rest of their things. We can't have the greatest enemy of our nation getting away with any less than the clothes on his back." the Fire Nation commander ordered his men, before picking up Sokka's boomerang from the ground, eyeing Appa as he continued to fly away; he scanned the weapon, before holstering it to his belt, looking down at the Water Tribesman, who was rubbing his now dirty face into his shoulder, "I bet the Fire Lord will give us some kind of award if we help capture the Avatar."</p><p>"He isn't around, is he?" he mumbled a question, not wanting to end in the personal custody of the Fire Lord; from what he knew from Aang, the Fire Lord was missing last he heard, so it was more likely he'd be going to her- the Princess.</p><p>"Princess Azula's off on a mission nearby. Oh... the General's going to be ecstatic about this." he smirked, "We'll have the last airbender in our grasp soon enough."</p><p>"Oh, he's pretty slippery. I wouldn't make that assertion too quickly." he warned with a smirk, knowing that Aang had got away from the seemingly skilled and capable Princess, despite her best efforts.</p><p>Before he could savour the commander's faltered smile, one of the soldiers threw Sokka's face into the dirt once more; he realised that if he was going to be stuck a prisoner of the Fire Nation for the meantime, he probably ought to learn when to shut his mouth. As he felt the weight on his hands increase, he knew that he'd have a hard time trying to escape; he had helped the others, but had inadvertently gotten himself into a tight spot. He knew that they'd come back for him, and when they did, Sokka would have spent enough time formulating a master-plan to escape his captors. At least that's what he told himself as he was forced up to his feet and dragged away by a pair of soldiers, grasping his arms tightly; he knew the danger that awaited him, but he could see one bright side. If he really did end up the Princess's prisoner, there was a chance she could treat him as decently as she had Aang, and he wouldn't spend his time in captivity curled up on the floor of some dirty metal cell, the kind his father warned him about when he spoke of what he saw on their ships. All he knew was that his sacrifice couldn't be in vain, because if it was, that wouldn't make him a hero, that would make him an idiot; if there was one thing worse than being defeated, it was being the one without any wits.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Responsibilities</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>The warmth of the morning sun was enticing Lu Ten to step out onto the deck of the ship, but more than that, was his father, who was sitting meditating on the deck, minding his own business; he wondered why he had gotten up so early, given it wasn't that long after sunrise, and decided to investigate. Not because he was feeling nosy, but because he knew his father well; he liked to sleep in, if he could. Given they were still en route to the forward camp for his father's army, which would be leading the siege of Ba Sing Se, he had little reason to get up early, other than to perhaps check the letters that would be coming in from the front.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seeing Prince Iroh had no letter in his hands, and seemed rather distant from his physical position on the deck of the ship, he doubted his presence there had anything to do with the war, or at least, in the material sense. The stress and anxieties he guessed would come with his important position as a General meant that he was likely concerned about his duties; if Lu Ten was going to command the siege, he would be too. His father had had an illustrious career as a general, and had led their nation to many great victories, many of which would rival even those of his great grandfather Sozin. Of all the people in the world, he ought to be the most self-assured in heading to command his army.</em>
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  <em>"Father, are you alright?" he asked him, Iroh turning his head around so he could eye his son.</em>
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  <em>"Ah, Lu Ten, good morning. I am fine, but thank you for asking." he smiled at him, "Did you wish to join me in my meditation?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, sure." he accepted his offer, "I'm surprised you don't have any tea with you."</em>
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  <em>"I wanted to just practice my breathing a little before I indulged myself." he excused his rather odd behaviour; it would be far more usual of his father to have a cup of tea in his hand than not, especially when he had just gotten out of bed.</em>
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  <em>He sat down beside Iroh, and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath, trying to do so in sync with his father's, "How did you sleep?"</em>
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  <em>"My bed on this ship is quite nice." he acknowledged, "I just needed to clear my head." he explained, rather cryptically; Lu Ten wasn't sure what was wrong, but he could tell his father was avoiding whatever he had been dealing with.</em>
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  <em>"Of what?" he further inquired, the Crown Prince raising a hand to his goatee as he took another deep breath.</em>
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  <em>"Of unhelpful thoughts." he simply put it, the younger Prince looking at his father, unsure how to advise him; he was the young, immature and inexperienced one, after all, and didn't know what to say to his father's issues.</em>
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  <em>He looked back ahead, and took his own deep breath, considering what he ought to say to his father; he did come up with a response, though, it took some time of awkwardly sitting there in silence for him to formulate it.</em>
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  <em>"You're an important man, Dad." he admitted, "You shouldn't be so worried about being stressed, or doubting yourself. You have advisors, and lots of people who want to help you succeed."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know that." he nodded, "But, Lu Ten, I can't feel as if I might let them down. This has never been done before- Ba Sing Se is the greatest city in the world."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And you're the greatest general." he retorted, reassuring his father of the skill that he held, "Yeah, you might not be as fast as Chin the Conqueror when it comes to taking the Earth Kingdom down, but you're still unmatched, aren't you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've lost battles before... but luckily for me, they were when I was young and inexperienced." he noted, "As a General, I've never failed."</em>
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  <em>"And you won't." Lu Ten stressed, not wanting his father to even doubt for a second that he couldn't win; they wouldn't be going to Ba Sing Se if they doubted the possibility of their victory, "Dad, I believe in you. Heaps of people do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's not just that." he admitted, turning his eyes down, "I... well, I keep telling myself this is my destiny. To finally defeat the Earth Kingdom, and end the war, once and for all." he recalled, before glancing toward his son, "But I don't know if it's right. I want the war over as much as the next soldier, but I don't know what price is acceptable... I have power over men's lives, Lu Ten."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And they trust you with their lives, Dad." he assured him, "Nobody would doubt your good intentions. If the enemy started killing your men, you'd either defeat them or withdraw to save lives, right?'</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I would." he confirmed, "But... this is the kind of battle we can't give up on so easily."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It could take years." Lu Ten observed the nature of what they were about to head into, "But the war has taken a hundred years. A year or two at those walls will be nothing in comparison."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Years wasted." Iroh sighed, "I don't know how things may go, if we are victorious... I might even retire." he chuckled, the younger Prince smiling at him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You'd deserve that, Dad. You've been fighting all your life for your country. You'll be a great Fire Lord some day, and maybe you can have a little break in between."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's what I'd like to do. Maybe we could go on a vacation or something after this." he suggested, the younger Prince chuckling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, we could... I'm probably going to go help with the occupation, though." he admitted, "I can't just leave a job unfinished."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That dogged determination is admirable, my son." Iroh complimented him, "Reminds me of somebody else I know."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko?" Lu Ten raised a brow, his father nodding; he turned his eyes ahead, realising that he hadn't seen his cousins in over a month, and that it could be years until he saw them again, "He might be a lot taller by the time we get back. And I bet Azula's firebending will be even more amazing."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She's an impressive bender, that's sure, but I have a feeling she might impress us in other areas." his father noted, "Both of them are very smart... I mean, smart for their ages." he acknowledged, "They will be more than able to serve their country, and hopefully, they won't have to go off and do the kind of things we're about to do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I can find a little pleasure in strategy, Father." he noted with a chuckle, "Azula really likes learning about military history. Maybe she'll demand that Uncle lets her into the army... or the navy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, well, she might set her sights on the Northern Water Tribe." he guessed, before shaking his head, "I'd prefer if she used her skills in a different manner, but if she really wants, I guess I cannot stop her from making such a choice."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, needless violence is always needless." he simply put it, "We're going to end the war so there's no more need for fighting, isn't that right, Dad?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, that's right." he smiled, "I've been looking forward to peace my entire life, and now it's finally within our grasp."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And we can savour it. A better world for a better Fire Lord." he acknowledged, making his father chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't let anybody hear you insulting the Fire Lord like that." he warned him, "My father is a prideful man."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And he knows you, Dad. It's not like he wants Uncle Ozai to be the Fire Lord." he suggested, making Iroh grimace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, he doesn't." he admitted, before turning his gaze away, obviously thinking about his relationship with his brother, who was known to conflict with Fire Lord Azulon, "My brother has good reason be unhappy with him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ever since Aunt Ursa died... he's been getting worse."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He was always angry." he noted, "That's why I worry for Zuko." he acknowledged, before grimacing, "They're more similar than Ozai would like to admit."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I won't let my cousin end up as spiteful and angry as him." he assured his father, "Maybe he needs to go experience some things out of the palace; learn about the world, and about himself."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I think that would be a good idea. He's still quite young, however." he noted, "It might be a few years until he's mature enough to go out on his own."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He won't have to be alone. He'll have me."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The morning sun rising over the city of Omashu was something that Azula could barely enjoy; it was hard to meditate and do her breathing exercises when she had earthbenders watching her every move, like she was going to attack them at any moment. She had no such intentions, even if she didn't think of them as her friends or allies; the Order of the White Lotus weren't her allies either, simply friends of her uncle who could restore him to the throne.</p><p>The things she knew now were also making it harder to meditate; ignoring the knowledge she gained was easier said than done, when she came to consider her whole reason for being came from the ancestry of her mother, whose grandfather was Avatar Roku. It made her interactions with Aang seem a whole lot less annoying and more absurd and unnerving; she had dragged the man who was her great-grandfather reincarnated away in chains, not knowing anything of the ties between them.</p><p>Her uncle had not bothered to tell her about any of it, and that in and of itself was frustrating; perhaps he didn't think she'd believe it- she struggled to do so at that very moment, but she had no reason to say otherwise. It made more sense than she was willing to admit, given her impressive bending abilities, not being bestowed upon her by good luck or fate, but by virtue of the bloodlines she hailed from. She didn't want to say it, but she did prefer it to be a result of action rather than a stroke of luck. Luck was fickle and arguable in its existence, while greed and arrogance were very much things that could be tangibly understood and seen in everything her father had done.</p><p>"Azula." she heard her uncle utter her name, and she turned around to face him; he seemed rather serious in his posture and composure, and that told her that they were going to do something proper.</p><p>"You're not here to meditate." she deduced, Iroh nodding before he gestured to the doorway behind him.</p><p>"We need to explain my plan." he clarified, before sighing, seeming like he didn't want to say what he was about to utter, "So, we can stop Ozai."</p><p>She looked at him blankly for a few moments, before she rose up to her feet, "Are you ready to leave this stupid city?" she asked him, the Fire Lord glancing around the courtyard.</p><p>"It's not that bad a place, Azula." he made his own observation, before pointing to the door once more, "I can't do this without you, Azula. You're the only person who can help me."</p><p>"Why is that, Uncle?" she asked him bluntly, "You have all these friends to help you, don't you?"</p><p>"That I do, my niece." he nodded, "But you're the only one who can go straight back to the Fire Nation Capital." he acknowledged, "As long as I'm thought missing, I could travel with you, and we could stop your father before he does anything worse than he already has."</p><p>"What has he done, exactly? Other than trying to kill you, that is." she asked, the Fire Lord grimacing as he turned around, placing his hands behind his back.</p><p>"He plans to destroy the Earth Kingdom... or what's left of it, with Sozin's Comet." he explained, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"And how does that concern me, Uncle?" she retorted, knowing that in desiring to be a good Fire Lord, she had little concern for the Earth Kingdom.</p><p>"Well, it concerns me." he bluntly put his thoughts to words, "And I don't believe you're going to blindly accept your father's intentions."</p><p>"Then why shouldn't we destroy the Earth Kingdom, Uncle?" she dared to retort, earning some concerned glares from the guards who were stationed around the courtyard.</p><p>"This is not the time or place to be having this conversation, my niece." he stressed, the Princess stepping closer, not having heard her uncle argue against the proposition at hand.</p><p>"That's not an answer. Tell me why." she demanded; he sighed, clearly frustrated by her words, and obviously not feeling very comfortable with the topic of discussion- that didn't mean he didn't have a view, which she was sure he did.</p><p>"Because it's wrong, and they deserve dignity and respect. Without that, we will never have peace." he acknowledged, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"Well, Uncle, wouldn't the destruction of the Earth Kingdom ensure peace by overcoming that dilemma?"</p><p>"It would." he agreed with her idea, "That's how Ozai probably justifies what he intends to do. I would never do such a thing, and I hope that you wouldn't either."</p><p>"I'm not the Fire Lord, so it's not my concern." she acknowledged bluntly, before striding past him, "So, are we going to go talk with your friends... or did that make you too uncomfortable?"</p><p>"No, I'm fine." he assured her, "Please... just refrain from saying such things. It will not earn you any good favour with these people."</p><p>"They're not my friends, Uncle. I don't have to like the Earth Kingdom. Why should I?"</p><p>"I can't tell you why... you do have a choice." he conceded, "Just don't treat them as being not worth your consideration because of their exclusion from our nation." he suggested, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</p><p>"No." she bluntly refused him; even if she was willing to follow and support him, she would not have her view of the world dictated to her by her uncle.</p><p>He didn't respond to her refusal, and simply continued to walk on beside her as she approached the doorway; the guards opened the doors, and eyed her with suspicion, and perhaps some fear, given what they'd just heard.</p><p>"Keep your eyes to yourselves." she warned them, before stepping through the doorway.</p><p>They approached the table in the middle of the throne room, and Azula noted that a few members of the Order of the White Lotus were already sitting there waiting, including the King of Omashu, who looked like he had just cleaned up, wearing a new robe with his beard freshly trimmed. They noted the pair approaching, and she kept her eyes away from them, not wanting to look at them, and engage in anyway. She was simply to be sitting there with her uncle while he explained his plan, and didn't want to partake in any discussion, given that it was not her place to argue against his plan. She could refuse him, but knew that wasn't a wise idea; her frustrations with the intentions of her uncle for her nation and the world as a whole were outweighed by her desire to make sure he was safe. She was a loyal subject of the Fire Lord before being a skeptical and concerned niece.</p><p>"So, Iroh, now will you explain what you're going to do, properly?" Bumi questioned the Fire Lord, who nodded, before taking a seat, the Princess taking the one beside him.</p><p>"I will." he confirmed verbally, placing his hands on the table, "I believe the most effective way to deal with the threat my brother poses is an Agni Kai... however, measures ought to be taken otherwise to prevent him from enacting his plans even if we are unsuccessful at reaching the Fire Nation Capital."</p><p>"I presume your niece training the Avatar is one of those things." one of the members guessed, the Fire Lord nodding.</p><p>"Yes, it is. I also would like as much intelligence on my brother's plot gathered by the Order as is possible." he stressed, raising a finger, "I do not know what may happen when I reach the capital, but I know that this plot is deep-rooted, and has probably been in motion since before the Siege of Ba Sing Se." he acknowledged, "My brother thinks I am weak-willed, and has probably persuaded many people in the military and court of this."</p><p>"Well, then we must find who these supporters are, so they can be isolated and prevented from doing anything that might further threaten the peace." Bumi declared, "I am sure everybody here can assist with gathering intelligence. We all have contacts and friends across the world who can provide for you, Iroh."</p><p>"I know." he nodded, "That is why we must act at once. My niece and I will leave today, and hopefully, we can reach the capital within a month, if not less time." he explained, the Princess turning to face her uncle.</p><p>"And what then, Uncle? Do you expect that you'll be able to just walk into the palace?" she asked him, knowing that it couldn't be that simple.</p><p>"No, of course not. Your father will have men everywhere. That's why I will need to take the catacombs to the palace with my Imperial Firebenders, who we will retrieve from the naval base they've been recovering at after the assassination attempt." he explained, Azula nodding, finding his plan to be rather well reasoned- if he had a small army of guards behind him, it would be a whole lot harder for her father to stop him from reaching the palace and formally demanding an Agni Kai.</p><p>She did realise there was one other issue, which her uncle might have avoided due to its sensitivity with her, "What about Zuko?"</p><p>"He'll be waiting for us, I assume." he noted, "As long as Ozai doesn't know I'm coming, he will be safe."</p><p>"We could send some of our contacts in the Capital to assist your nephew, Iroh." one of the members suggested, "They could keep him safe for the time being."</p><p>"Directly intervening with him may not help us very much." he conceded, "My brother might become more paranoid, and act rashly to try and stop me." he acknowledged, "That would endanger my nephew's life, and perhaps my own."</p><p>"Zuko was the one who told you about all this." Azula acknowledged, "What's to say Father doesn't already know about his snooping around. He's no idiot, Uncle."</p><p>"I am sure of that, and that's why we must be cautious." he stressed, "One slip up, and Ozai's backers will know where I am, and that will be sure to bring those assassins our way."</p><p>"It's a wonder the army hasn't tracked them down yet." Azula noted, before narrowing her eyes, "Though, that may be on purpose. Father may be purposefully redirecting resources away from the effort of 'finding' you." she theorised, the Fire Lord grimacing at the thought.</p><p>"I think I know what excuse he has to do that." he realised, raising his hand up, "The same person you've been looking for."</p><p>"What, are you saying some hotshot navy commander or general could capture Aang first and stop me from doing anything about it?"</p><p>"That's precisely what I'm saying." he confirmed, Bumi grimacing at the idea; the young Air Nomad was his friend, after all, and his concerns for his safety were well-justified.</p><p>"Then you ought to get to him quickly, Azula." the King suggested, "I know you need to get to the Capital, but preventing somebody else from reaching Aang is too important to ignore."</p><p>"I won't ignore it." she assured him, "But that's Uncle's decision." she deflected responsibility, knowing that his request was a perfect opportunity to test her uncle's resolve on the matter.</p><p>"Ensuring the Avatar is not captured by the military is important, that is true." Iroh conceded, before he turned his eyes toward Bumi, "But we have our own priorities at this very instant. Azula must do everything she can to stop him from being captured, but that is second to making sure we can reach the capital safely."</p><p>"We may be able to intercept them before we leave for the capital, Uncle." she acknowledged, "But, we have to hurry, and hope that the military isn't already onto them." she warned, the King of Omashu nodding with agreement.</p><p>"I will have some of my men escort you out of the city. Hopefully, you can reach Aang before they do." he noted, "I assume they'd take him to the capital, to Ozai."</p><p>"While he's acting Fire Lord, that would be protocol, yes." the Dragon of the West confirmed.</p><p>"Well, I'll be taking him to my father." Azula declared, "That's the best excuse, isn't it, Uncle?"</p><p>He looked at her blankly for a few moments, "Yes, it would be... but doing so might put him in danger."</p><p>"We'll be in more danger than him. Who exactly is more of a threat to my father: an Avatar who only knows airbending, or his own brother and daughter?"</p><p>"You know, she has a point, Iroh." Bumi agreed with her, "We'll do as much as we can to figure out the scope of your brother's conspiracy, but we're counting on you." he warned the Fire Lord, who grimaced; there was a lot at stake, and he couldn't make any foolish mistakes- running off again would be a bad idea, and avoiding Ozai's assassins would only be possible with the transport Azula could provide.</p><p>"I understand." he nodded, "We need to go at once. Do you have any men ready?"</p><p>"I will have to check in the guard barracks." he noted, before his eyebrows rose up, "Wait, no, I'm the King." he reminded himself, "Somebody get me some good earthbenders!" he clapped his hands, one of his guards approaching him, before he bowed.</p><p>"How many do you require, your majesty?" he asked, the King raising a finger to his goatee, which he scratched in thought.</p><p>"A least five. That'll be enough to protect them, and dig fast enough to get around the Fire Nation forces." he ordered, the guard nodding.</p><p>"It will be done, your majesty." he accepted his command, before pacing off to collect some guards.</p><p>"Thank you, Bumi." Iroh smiled at the elderly king, before rising up to his feet, turning his gaze to his niece, "Azula, let's go get our things." she suggested, the Princess eyeing the others on the table; she didn't know what they thought of her, but she didn't really care- she had things to do, and an uncle to persuade.</p><p>Making sure they stopped her father was obviously the priority, but she understood that her uncle was intending to make some large changes to their nation's agenda and foreign policy, something that she knew shouldn't be decided quickly. Azula had learnt much from her tutors, and from her journey around the world; the Fire Nation's position of power was not in danger, not yet, but she understood the faults of the Air Nomads, which had allowed them to be destroyed with Sozin's Comet. Those faults could not appear in her own nation, lest they fall to a fate comparably terrible. Revenge was something she understood the other nations might seek against her own, something they had good reason to do; it was imperative to make sure the Fire Nation did not give up every bit of power they held, because they would suffer needlessly because of weakness.</p><p>She didn't want to think about the things her uncle was going to do too much, as she still had to get back to the capital to stop her father from sending their nation spiralling into a civil war. So, she stood up, and followed Iroh out of the throne room, heading off down a hallway that led them toward the room they had stayed in the night prior; the guards opened the door for them with earthbending, cautiously eyeing the pair as they stood out of their path. The Princess stepped inside, and waited for the door to be closed behind them to address her uncle.</p><p>"So, Uncle, what will you do about the war?" she asked him rather bluntly, "I know you spoke of dignity and respect, but I am sure the people we have been fighting for a hundred years might desire a bit more than that."</p><p>"You are right, my niece." he nodded, "But that is a bridge we will cross when we reach it." he deflected her question, moving to grasp the bag of things he had with him, consisting of his tea set and a few rations.</p><p>"No, Uncle." she grasped his arm, "That's a bridge we're crossing right now." she warned him, "Whatever you intend to do will be done very soon, so you might as well tell me what you're going to do."</p><p>"Honesty isn't always the safest way to go about things, my niece, but I am sure you already know that." he noted, Azula nodding to signal her agreement, "I wish that we could solve this all simply, but it cannot be solved simply."</p><p>"So, tell me how. If I am to be the Fire Lord some day, I need to know what you're going to do." she demanded, the Dragon of the West turning his eyes toward her, narrowed and serious; he wasn't just her uncle, he was a hardened soldier and general who had commanded thousands to battle, perhaps, led to many of them dying.</p><p>"We must stop all this needless fighting, but we cannot let ourselves forget what has happened. There are lessons we can learn from the faltering of the Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads against our forces." he acknowledged something which she agreed with personally.</p><p>"I know, Uncle." she nodded, "So, are you going to allow yourself to become weak and incapable of holding our nation together, or will you make sure your subjects are protected?"</p><p>"I will never be weak, Azula. Weakness is to be blind of the truths of this world, and I have seen everything I need to do to lead my nation. I wish it was not me here... I wish it was Lu Ten, but fate has not been kind to our family. We must do with what we have, and fight when we must." he assured her, "I know you are strong, but you have yet to see everything." he acknowledged, before turning around to the desk that sat in the room, picking up a piece of parchment.</p><p>He began to inscribe something on it, and she quickly came to realise that it wasn't words, but numbers; he handed her the piece of parchment, and she scanned over the numbers, unsure exactly what they meant. Obviously the numbers themselves didn't have significance, but what they referred to did- they were coordinates.</p><p>"Where does this lead me, Uncle?" she asked him, the Fire Lord placing a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>"To the truth." he simply told her, "It is a journey you must take for yourself, as my son once did." he explained, "You should only do so when you think you are ready."</p><p>"How will I know?" she asked him, "What kind of journey is this?"</p><p>"The same you have made to the Air Temples. It is a different place you will be visiting, but you may learn similar things." he acknowledged, "When you feel like you are weak, or that you do not understand your element, that is when you will know it is right go here."</p><p>"I am a master firebender, Uncle. I know my element." she assured him, the Dragon of the West nodding.</p><p>"Then you are not ready." he simply put it, before turning to pick up his bag, "But trust me, Azula, one day, you will realise what I have. Your brother will too."</p><p>"Zuko's not a master firebender." she observed, "Perhaps he should go already." she suggested, making her uncle chuckle.</p><p>"No, Zuko has yet to face his limits, and to face his destiny. He will some day, and he will go there too. He mightn't need the coordinates, because he will know what he needs to find."</p><p>"And why wouldn't I know what I need to find?"</p><p>"Because Lo and Li are two foolish old hags." he bluntly explained her differing circumstances, making her snicker.</p><p>"Lucky me. I kicked them off my ship nearly three months ago." she noted, "What kind of thing would Zuko know that I don't?"</p><p>"The truth about firebending." he simply told her, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"That anger is weakness?" she asked him, making his eyes widen.</p><p>"Well, yes, actually. That's part of it." he confirmed, "Where did you learn that?"</p><p>"Lu Ten." she clarified, "This must have been what he was talking about." she glanced down at the coordinates, "Thank you, Uncle."</p><p>"I am sure he might have liked to take you there, but I guess you'll be the teacher instead." he noted, making her narrow her eyes.</p><p>"You want me to go with Aang?" she asked, the Fire Lord shrugging his shoulders.</p><p>"If you think it is necessary. You should wait and see how his firebending training goes." he explained, the Princess snickering at the thought; Aang hadn't even mastered waterbending, let alone earthbending yet.</p><p>"Well, I might have to wait a while."</p><p>"There is nothing wrong with patience... though we mustn't forget the danger your father poses." he acknowledged, the Princess scoffing, before she went to grab her own bag.</p><p>"I'm not afraid, Uncle." she assured him, the Fire Lord grimacing as he looked at her with a fearful expression; perhaps the danger he was thinking about was not the kind she was to be facing.</p><p>"It's not you that should be afraid, my niece."</p><hr/><p>Mai didn't like cleaning dishes, but she did it anyway; being in the position she'd expect of a servant was so antithetical to her position as a noblewoman that it almost disgusted her. She didn't want to feel disgusted, however, knowing how important it was to play her part; she and Zuko needed to be safe, so she would do her work without question, and hopefully, their trip toward Shu Jing would go off without a hitch. Their first night had been easy enough, and she and Zuko slept in a bunk bed, the Prince taking the bottom, strained and tired enough from climbing as he had to bother taking the top bunk, which he might have otherwise.</p><p>He didn't complain, not as much as she'd expect him to, being the cocky and entitled Prince he was; the change in his demeanour, especially in terms of his confidence, was stark. Even though he seemed confident in his abilities, he was clearly not as self-assured as he had been, and seemed to doubt what he was capable of. He could climb up and clean windows, and wash the deck, if that was required of him, and people would compliment his speed and athleticism, but he didn't really want the compliments; once, Zuko had only wanted respect and adoration, just like Azula, but now, he seemed to disdain or even fear it. She had a feeling that it had something to do with Ozai, and whatever their final interactions had been.</p><p>One of the cooks tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around, noting it was Kuai, a portly and gregarious man who ran the ship's kitchen, "Hishu, you're not that bad at this, you know. It's good having some help around here." he acknowledged her hard work, before gesturing to the last few dishes she had to clean, "Once you're done here, you can go eat your meal. I have it sitting out on the counter." he gestured to the front of the kitchen, where she could see a small dish of noodles and roast chicken-cow meat.</p><p>"Thanks." she responded with a straight face, before returning to her work, scrubbing the dish in her hands hard, before submerging it in the sink.</p><p>She then placed it with the other clean dishes, before taking the next dirty one; the repetition of the task made it easy for her to blank out, and ignore the task at hand. She got through the last few dishes without any issue, and scrubbed them all clean, wiping a dry cloth over them to make sure they weren't dripping wet, before she placed the cleaning materials back into the cupboard beneath the sink; she glanced around the kitchen, and realised that all the other workers were already gone, and that the mess hall itself was empty, which she approved of.</p><p>She paced over to the bowl of noodles that Kuai had prepared for her, and picked it up, deciding she'd eat, clean the bowl, and then go up to the top deck, where Zuko had told her he'd meet her. It was the only part of the ship that was loud enough, due to the waves crashing up onto the ship, and isolated enough, that they could talk in private without anybody reasonably snooping on them. She picked up the pair of chopsticks left beside the bowl, before she paced over to an empty table, of which there were many choices. She chose one that wasn't that dirty; she was expected to clean the kitchen, not the mess hall, which was left for the janitor, who was probably on his break, explaining why nothing had been cleaned up yet. She was annoyed by that, but since she had nobody to voice her frustrations to, she simply remained silent, and ate her meal.</p><p>She was able to enjoy her meal in peace until she was rudely interrupted by some presumably drunken sailors barging into the mess hall; they were cackling, and obviously, were enjoying their foolish fun-times, which they might regret the next morning when the headaches came around. One of them pointed toward her, smacking his lips, as if he were trying to recall some information from his mind; she personally doubted there was anything in that hollow head of his, but he drew out a title that made her dig her nails into the table.</p><p>"Cleaning wench! Yeah, you! Do us a favour and clean up the tables. We're going to have a dance party." he explained, making her roll her eyes.</p><p>"I'm not a janitor, dimwit." she retorted, "I work in the kitchen, and that's already clean." she argued, before turning her eyes back to her meal.</p><p>"Oh, how rude." one of them made an exaggerated gasp, "No wonder she ain't getting any."</p><p>She scrunched her lips up, wondering in what way that drunken sailor had intended his words; either he thought she was a prude, intended to insult Zuko, going off the general assumption he was her boyfriend, or suggested he wanted to have sex with her. The first two she didn't really care for, not offended by his idea of her temperament, nor wanting to get offended for Zuko's sake; she could just as easily tell the Fire Nation Prince what he said, and the window cleaner Kamen would quickly become the feared faceless and nameless Blue Spirit. The last one, however, she felt not offended by, but threatened by; however, she didn't think that the man would physically pose much of an issue. She could just as easily beat him up and throw him overboard as easily as he could take a straight piss in his current condition; sure, it wouldn't be fun, but with the right focus and reason, she could do it.</p><p>Mai continued to eat her meal, deciding she was going to ignore them as best she can, though it didn't seem like she had the best luck, as one of them approached the table she was sitting at, "Did you hear us? Get cleaning." he demanded, the usually collected and stoic girl glancing his way, reaching into her robes with her left hand.</p><p>"If you ask that one more time, I will cut your fingers off." she warned him, not bluffing in the slightest, before she chuckled, realising that it wouldn't even be necessary "You're not even worth the time. Just go throw up overboard." she gestured toward the exit of the mess hall.</p><p>"I can hold my own." he proclaimed, before slamming his hand down onto the table, "So, are you just a shit cleaner, or do you really hate us that much?"</p><p>She picked up a piece of chicken-cow with her chopsticks, and rolled her eyes, "Hate is a very strong word. You are annoying, but that's a stupid reason to hate someone."</p><p>"You know what's really annoying." another man piped up, approaching her from the other side, "When people don't help others out. It's really disrespectful to be so lazy when you're new on the ship."</p><p>When he reached to grasp her left hand, she drew out her sai, and immediately, before he could retract his arm, she slashed up its side, making him cry out in pain, flinching back and cowering in fear.</p><p>"What the fuck was that?!" one of the other drunk sailors shouted out.</p><p>"I wasn't bluffing, idiot." she chided the man she cut, before she pushed her bowl away, knowing things might get messy.</p><p>She weaved under a punch one of the drunken fools sent her way, before she jabbed the inner side of his elbow, making him grunt as he lurched back in pain. Another drunken sailor tried to jump at her, probably wanting to beat her, or perhaps, something even worse; she didn't give him a chance, throwing her sai right into his shoulder, catching him before he could land a hit. Before he could even comprehend the pain from his injury, she slammed her fist into his chin, throwing him back, and pulling the blade out of his shoulder.</p><p>"Now would be a good time to give up." she warned the others, who were more angry than they were cautious, and she used that to her advantage.</p><p>One tried to punch her, and she quickly stepped out of the way, before grappling him by the neck, and throwing his face right down onto the table, shaking her bowl of noodles violently in the process. She then grabbed the arm of the last sailor, which she twisted before threatening him with her blade, holding it up against her neck.</p><p>"Remember this... don't try and pick up women when you're drunk... especially when they know how to fight." she simply advised him, before closing the wings of the sai blade, before she smacked him hard on the face with the flat side of the weapon.</p><p>He stumbled back, and fell onto his behind, and with that, Mai put her weapon back into her robes, before she picked up her bowl of noodles, deciding to take them with her to the deck; if the sailors decided to follow, Zuko would give them a piece of his mind, something she knew he would certainly do if she dare told him what they said. She didn't want to inspire the usually temperamental Prince into enacting revenge on the men who she'd already given a serious beating, and cut up two of them badly enough that they'd need to go see the ship's doctor. She just hoped that Jishang wouldn't reprimand her too badly, but she knew she couldn't count on it; she was new, and it was more than likely that the First Mate would side with people he knew well. Unless they had well-known poor temperaments, she guessed the worst case scenario was them getting kicked off the ship at the next port.</p><p>Mai tried to push those fears to the back of her mind as she strode on out of the mess hall, not bothering to loom back as she could hear the sailors groaning with pain. She strode along the hallway that ran through the superstructure of the ship, where most, if not all the important things in the ship were located. The rest of the ship consisted of a large storage hold, which contained various crates of goods. When she reached the front door of the superstructure, she momentarily glanced back, and was reassured by the fact that none of the drunken sailors had bothered to follow her. She then pushed the door open, and glanced around the deck, looking for Zuko.</p><p>She was alerted to his presence a few moments later by a question beside her, "Why do you have food?" he asked her, the stoic girl turning to face him, trying to keep her composure after nearly being frightened by his sudden presence.</p><p>"I was forced out of the mess hall by a bunch of drunken idiots." she explained, the Fire Nation Prince cringing at her mention of them.</p><p>"Oh, those guys. They were out here making a fool of themselves." he acknowledged, before nodding, "I can see why you came here."</p><p>She was conflicted over whether to tell him about what happened, and decided that it would just needlessly agitate the Prince; it wasn't like she had actually gotten herself hurt, after all. She picked up her chopsticks from the bowl and gestured toward the metal railing of the deck, suggesting they could go sit down there.</p><p>"I'd prefer to sit while eating." she simply told him, Zuko nodding, and leading the way lover to the spot she had gestured to.</p><p>The deck was covered with crates, just like the lower portions of the ship, which was accessed via a large hole in the centre of the deck. They weren't going anywhere near the hole, so Mai wasn't concerned about accidentally falling in, which would be pretty hard to begin with, given all the crates in the way, and the railing surrounding it. She sat down beside Zuko, who made an exasperated sigh, telling her that he'd had a hard day's work cleaning around the ship. Though he was good at doing the windows, given his climbing skills, he'd been placed around various parts of the ship to clean, mostly just the exterior surfaces, though given the size of the ship, there were quite a few of them.</p><p>"So, how was your day?" he asked her the most generic question he possibly could have, before he cringed, "No, that's a dumb question. Did anybody annoy you exceptionally?"</p><p>"Oh..." she raised a finger to her chin, "Those drunks." she admitted, "I dealt with them though."</p><p>"I wouldn't expect anything less." he nodded, before he glanced up above them, looking to the stars that were visible behind the few clouds that dotted the sky, "This is... different. It's hard."</p><p>"I know." she agreed with him, "I feel like everything I'm doing here is... just below me." she acknowledged, "I guess I never thought I'd be in a place like this."</p><p>"I mean, it's not completely terrible." Zuko acknowledged, "The food is edible." he gestured to the bowl she was eating from.</p><p>"The cooks know what they're doing." she agreed with him, before putting some noodles into her mouth and chewing them down.</p><p>"Thanks for helping me." he simply told her, one more time, just for emphasis, again; she was surprised how thankful he was, given how headstrong and cocky Zuko was at times, "I would be dead if you didn't help me."</p><p>She chewed down her food, and grimaced at the thought of Zuko actually dying; she had suspected the worst when she entered the ruined hideout, and was relieved to see that the Prince was still alive. If he hadn't been, she was unsure what she would have done; perhaps she might have tried to get on the first ship she could find, and go to Azula, knowing she was and continued to be their best hope; she had a ship, supplies, and Imperial Firebenders with her, which Mai assumed weren't loyal to Ozai. Despite knowing that she might have had a chance, that did not make her any less glad to be sitting beside him, and more glad that he hadn't perished in that explosion.</p><p>"I know." she mumbled, Zuko's phoenix tail flickering in the wind as he watched her eat.</p><p>"I'm just really sorry for... all of this." he tried to apologise, making her shake her head, knowing that it wasn't really his fault; he had acted foolishly, but he had done what he thought was right, and not for his own gain, but for the greater good of his country.</p><p>"Don't." she pushed her right hand into his chest, stressing her one word response.</p><p>"You deserve better." he simply acknowledged, "If I was as good as her, maybe I would have gone and faced himself." he added, sounding not jealous, but just disappointed; it had less to do with the fact Azula was better than him at firebending, but that if he had attained that very potential he believed in himself, maybe facing off Ozai wouldn't have been as unreasonable as it was.</p><p>"You don't get to decide whether I deserve anyone." she retorted, tapping on his sternum once more, "I do." she stressed, before taking another bite out of her bowl of noodles, "So stop being such a baby about it, and just fight on. That's the Zuko I know."</p><p>He looked at her with a surprised expression, before smiling at her, "Well, you definitely haven't changed."</p><p>"What, you think explosions and assassins are going to phase me? You must be as slow as those old tutors Azula drags around with her."</p><p>He snickered at her joke, presumably finding her comparison to Lo and Li to be hilarious, "I don't doubt you. Your composure is as hard as obsidian." he assured her, making her consider his comparison, before taking another bite from her bowl.</p><p>"I sure hope it is. I didn't want all those years of etiquette training to go to waste." she sarcastically quipped; Zuko knew she hated every minute of those classes, and was certainly glad to be free of them, as well as school in general.</p><p>"You must really enjoy the lack of homework." he observed, Mai making a small smile, just appreciating the fact for a moment.</p><p>"I can sleep soundly knowing the only thing I have to worry about is a bunch of assassins coming to murder me, and not my homework." she retorted once more, just reminding him that homework the furthest thing from her mind.</p><p>"Well, don't worry. I'm a light sleeper." he assured her, "If they came for us, I'd have my dagger at the ready."</p><p>Finishing chewing down one some chicken-cow, she raised a brow in considering the other things in the Prince's repertoire, "Wouldn't your firebending help?"</p><p>"Setting the bunk bed on fire, or the other crew for that matter... is something I would like to avoid." he acknowledged, momentarily considering the welfare of the crew, given in such a situation, they'd find themselves between the pair and whoever intended to see them dead, "They wouldn't like that, and I'm guessing you wouldn't either."</p><p>"Yeah, if you set me on fire, I'd definitely punch you in the face afterwards." she warned him, knowing that she wouldn't tolerate him getting sloppy; working together meant making sure their fighting techniques didn't harm each other, in her eyes.</p><p>"I wouldn't dare." he assured her, "I know for a fact you can punch me faster than I can conjure a fireball in my palm."</p><p>She drew out her sai, and flicked in around in her right hand, "Well, I am fast." she declared her well-placed belief, before returning the blade to the place she hid it inside her robes.</p><p>"Not at eating." he observed, making her roll her eyes.</p><p>"No thanks to you." she argued, before taking another bite from her bowl of noodles; the cooking wasn't that bad, and it was more so the fact she was talking with Zuko rather than the quality of the food that slowed her down.</p><p>"I'll just let you eat in peace then." he conceded, crossing his arms while she silently ate her meal; she was already a fair way through it, and quickly enough, finished off the bowl of food, before she leaned back onto the railing, glancing up above them at the stars Zuko had been eyeing earlier.</p><p>She could recognise a few constellations, recalling their names and the reasons behind them; it was all rather complicated, though she was confused as to why she learned it at school. She was neither a sailor or a diviner, though clearly, it seemed like she was almost the former; working on a ship was different to navigating one, though she assumed that if they ended up working on more ships, such a time might come when she had to do such a thing, and rely on that otherwise useless knowledge.</p><p>"You're going over your constellations." Zuko guessed correctly, Mai letting out an exasperated sigh.</p><p>"I can't escape school, even if I go on a ship to sail away from home." she lamented jokingly.</p><p>"You can't escape knowledge... unless you get hit in the head really hard." he warned her, to which she raised her hands up.</p><p>"I'd prefer to keep my memories." she stressed, "Stupid mistakes aren't something I'd like to repeat."</p><p>"Was this a mistake?" he asked her, the usually stoic girl taken aback by his question; it was vague enough that she wasn't sure by which angle to answer it.</p><p>"Going on this ship, or sitting with you?" she asked him, before narrowing her eyes, realising he was turning his gaze away slightly; she could notice the ever slightest blush on his face, and rolled her eyes, before she grasped his chin, forcing him to look her way, "You're cute sometimes, Zuko." she simply told him, before giving him a peck on the cheek; his face flushed red, and he looked unsure what to do.</p><p>Despite that nervous look on his face, she didn't want him to do anything, having finished her dinner, and wanting to put her dishes back where she'd have to do them the following morning; she just appreciated that he was there, and that was more than most people had done for her.</p><p>"Uh... to the kitchen?" he guessed, Mai nodding, before offering him a hand, which he accepted, rising up to his feet.</p><p>"Do me a favour. If the drunken idiots harass us, don't be afraid to knock them out." she suggested, "I don't want to get kicked off this ship, but if one more stupid comment comes out of their mouths, I'm going to pin them to the floor with my knives." she stressed her frustration, the Prince nodding as he turned his gaze toward the doorway.</p><p>"Beating up annoying people is my speciality."</p><hr/><p>The weight of chains on his arms and legs made Sokka feel as if it had been a bad idea to call out 'yip yip' to Appa; he certainly would have preferred some company while imprisoned by the Fire Nation, rather than having to sit in a muggy tent by himself. The temperature inside wasn't that bad, despite the fact he was only wearing his tunic, pants and boots, and lacked any proper kind of sleeping roll to use for sleeping. He had slept on the hard ground, and though it had been annoying to do so, he found that being undercover was better than the soldiers just leaving him outside tied to a pole.</p><p>He had been surprised when the General commanding the army had come in to interrogate him personally; it was less of an actual interrogation, and more so him threatening the Water Tribesman into giving up where Aang and Katara had gone. Not that he was going to snitch on them if he knew, Sokka genuinely had no idea where they had flown on Appa. His best guess was they had flown after the soldiers, and were probably trying to figure out a way into the war camp. He had offered the General his best response, which was that he had no idea, other than the fact that they were intending north, and to get away from Princess Azula, who was hunting them down.</p><p>That seemed to humour the General, and he later found out that was because Azula was due to return from Omashu with whatever intelligence she had gathered there; the Water Tribesman found that to be rather fishy, given that the Order of the White Lotus was meeting there specifically, and that her uncle was meant to be meeting them. He didn't know where the Fire Lord was, and didn't want to find him; he'd rather stay as far away from the assassins they had faced as possible, given how dangerous they seemed to be, even to a skilled airbender like Aang, or the very Princess who had captured him.</p><p>The General had given him some rice gruel and a little bit of tea to drink, which he accepted, though he was then taken back to the dim tent he had been housed in, and tied back up. Sokka had decided, with nothing better to do, he would lie himself down, and try and get some sleep, so he could conserve his strength for Aang and Katara's inevitable rescue attempt.</p><p>He was woken by the sound of shouts and chatter throughout the camp, and he pulled himself up from his position on the ground, trying to wipe the dirt off of his cheek with his shoulder. He glanced around, unsure what was going on, before a man paced into the tent; the Water Tribesman looked at him, and his eyes widened, recognising his distinctive armour from Kyoshi Island. He had to be one of Azula's guards, which told him that the Princess might be at the camp already.</p><p>"It's just this kid." the guard observed, making Sokka snicker, glad that he could derive a little disappointment out of his captors.</p><p>"Oh, sorry, did I disappoint you?" he sarcastically asked him, "Yeah, you ash-makers would have preferred Katara, seeing how you liked to take our waterbenders." he realised, almost glad that he was the prisoner instead of her, knowing that the Fire Nation might just take her to wherever they usually took waterbenders; he didn't want to imagine that place, and shook his head at the thought of it.</p><p>"Just shut up." the guard warned him, before turning around, "Her highness will be here in a moment."</p><p>"Oh, should I bow for her?" he quipped in return, making the guard raise a finger.</p><p>"She will not appreciate the attitude." he warned him, "Trust me."</p><p>"I am inclined to not trust any of you. I think you're smart enough to figure out why." he smiled at him, just wanting to emphasise how much he despised them, and how that despising was likely quite mutual.</p><p>A few moments later, another guard stepped through the canvas of the tent, and held it open, allowing Princess Azula to step into the tent; he was a little confused, as he easily recognised her, but the outfit she was wearing was some kind of disguise. She must have snuck inside Omashu, which made a lot of sense, but didn't confirm nor deny his suspicions about her going to meet the Order of the White Lotus.</p><p>"Urgh, it's this one." she sighed with annoyance, before gesturing for the guards to leave, "He's no threat. I can speak with him alone." she argued, the Water Tribe warrior eyeing the guards.</p><p>"Yeah, scoot, boys." he suggested, the guards looking at him with postures that suggested they were pretty annoyed by his comments, though he couldn't see their faces and confirm that as fact.</p><p>Once they left the tent, and before Azula could try and interrogate him, he decided to test his hypothesis, "So, how was Bumi? Already missing Aang?" he asked, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</p><p>"How did-" she began, before slamming her fist into her open palm, "Shut up." she warned him, obviously realising her reaction gave away his assumption as being fact.</p><p>"Ahaha, Sokka one, ash-makers zero." he quipped in return, Azula stepping closer and pointing her right index finger at his forehead, conjuring a bright blue torch on the end of it.</p><p>"Don't call me an ash-maker again." she warned him, making him pout.</p><p>"Did I hurt your feelings?" he sarcastically asked her, making an exaggeratedly dejected face.</p><p>"Somebody wasn't disciplined as a child." she observed, before pushing her finger closer to his face, "Do you need to be disciplined?"</p><p>"I'd prefer to get the tea party started." he suggested in turn, "That's what you did with Aang, right?"</p><p>"Urgh." she raised her chin up, seeming frustrated by either the idea of serving him tea, or by the fact she had done so, and now, that was the expectation her prisoners had of her, "I'm not giving you tea, peasant." she stressed, before turning her heels around, looking as if she was about to leave the tent, "Do you even know where Aang is?"</p><p>"Probably trying to figure out a way to get me out of here." he acknowledged the most likely situation.</p><p>"Well, that works in my favour." she acknowledged, crossing her arms, before she turned back to face him, "Do you have any idea of what's going on?"</p><p>He looked at her blankly for a few moments, confused by what she was talking about; he was her prisoner, and Aang and Katara probably were nearby, "They're coming?"</p><p>She raised her chin up, "So, nobody does know yet." she deduced, before scoffing, "I wonder how long it will take now." she mumbled to herself.</p><p>"I have no idea what you're talking about." he bluntly admitted, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.</p><p>"It's no matter." she assured him, "Consider yourself lucky that I am your captor, and it wasn't some uppity officer who would have had you strung up to send a message." she explained, before pointing towards him, "Nobody respects you snow savages, but I'm pretty sure you must have figured that out already."</p><p>"That General sounded afraid of you." he acknowledged what he had noticed about the General's demeanour.</p><p>"Eager to please." she corrected him, "Not that I really care he has caught you. What I care about is finding your friend, the Avatar, before one of the men loyal to my father does."</p><p>"Isn't your father just some Prince?" he asked her, "Or is he a General too?"</p><p>"No, he's just acting Fire Lord, while my uncle is missing." she explained plainly before she sighed, "I don't know how long it will take for Aang to get here, so we'll just have to wait."</p><p>"You're not going to capture him." he warned her, "He's pretty good at running away, and he's not going to make the same mistake twice."</p><p>"And are you going to cross-dress again?" she retorted, making the Water Tribe warrior cringe, remembering that he had been dressed as a Kyoshi Warrior when they first fought each other.</p><p>"Urgh... dammit Suki." he mumbled under his breath, wishing he didn't have the embarrassing memory of dressing in girl's clothes; he knew that he appreciated the training he had received, and the bond he had forged with the girl, but that didn't mean he liked having to dress up as he had, "No, I'm not." he stressed.</p><p>"Well, you assumed wrong, anyway." she added, rather smugly, "I'm not going to capture Aang."</p><p>"What, are you going to give him another tea party instead?" he asked, "Have a nice little drink and meet your uncle... wherever he is."</p><p>She scoffed at his words, and shook her finger at him, "No, I'm going to make sure nobody else captures him, and then, because my uncle asked it of me, will teach him firebending."</p><p>"Sorry... what?" Sokka looked at her with his mouth agape, "Why do you even want to teach him?"</p><p>"I don't." she stressed, "I'd rather not empower the potential enemies of the Fire Nation, but my uncle believes it's 'destiny' or whatever, and I won't disobey him." she explained, making the Water Tribesman look at her, no less confused than he already was.</p><p>"That's crazy. Aang's not going to let you teach him."</p><p>"And who else will teach him?" she retorted, "I'm the only person in the Fire Nation who's willing to do it, I can assure you of that." she pointed her flaming finger at him.</p><p>"Well, that's got to be the craziest thing I've heard in awhile. I thought glowing eyes and crazy powers were the craziest thing around. No, it's the Fire Nation helping the guy they want in chains learn their element." he explained to her his thoughts, just to help himself comprehend it, "Why?"</p><p>"Because I need him." she told him, before raising a finger to her chin, "Well, Uncle does."</p><p>"Uh, that's not really an answer." he retorted, the Princess scoffing, turning her heels at once.</p><p>"You're not getting a proper answer, snow savage. Secrets are meant to remain as such." she warned him, before approaching the exit of the tent, "Somebody get this idiot on my tank-train."</p><p>"We're going to draw him out?" one of her guards asked, the Princess nodding, before she looked toward Sokka.</p><p>"Good news, you might just get an actual room to sleep in tonight."</p><p>"A cell. Sounds fun." he deadpanned, before glancing down at his hands, realising the soldiers had taken his weapons, "Hey, could you get my boomerang, club and dagger for me? Those stupid soldiers took them from me."</p><p>"I'm not doing such trivial work." she retorted, before shaking her head, "One of you, go ask Zhiying for the boy's weapons."</p><p>Another guard stepped into the tent, and moved behind Sokka; he unlocked the chain that was binding him to the ground, before he grasped him by his bound hands, "Get moving." he demanded, and the Water Tribesman, though frustrated by being pushed around, accepted his demand, and walked to the exit of the tent.</p><p>The Princess eyed him for a moment, before she glanced off into the distance, looking across the camp, "I'll accompany you to the tank-train." she explained to the guard, "Just to make sure the savage doesn't do anything stupid."</p><p>"I'm not going to try and run away." he assured her, making Azula snicker; she eyed him suspiciously, before turning her heels, beginning to walk ahead.</p><p>"I doubt that." she simply spoke her mind, the guard pushing Sokka along, forcing him to follow her.'</p><p>"So..." he mumbled, wondering if he could get any more information out of the Princess while she was around him, "What makes the Fire Nation want to help Aang now?"</p><p>"The Fire Nation isn't doing anything." she corrected him, speaking with a calm, yet stern voice, "I am."</p><p>"Oh... and do you think everyone will agree with that? I'm pretty sure your people want him in chains or dead." he told her what he knew to be true; the Fire Nation wanted Aang, and that was why they had to keep moving, to make sure he couldn't be captured.</p><p>"You must really be thick in the head." she commented, now sounding frustrated, "I already said I'm not letting any other greedy men get their grimy hands on the Avatar." she assured him, "I believe that may be a common interest of ours."</p><p>"Pfft..." Sokka scoffed, "Yeah right. We don't have any common interests."</p><p>"Other than that, I hope we don't. I don't wish to have anything in common with a peasant such as yourself." she stressed, inadvertently agreeing with him.</p><p>"Okay... so we do agree on that." he nodded, before glancing back at the intimidating guard who was pushing him along, "What's with the stupid masks, anyway?"</p><p>"Intimidation." the Princess bluntly told him, without uttering another word on the matter, "I advise you lay off the annoying questions, or my guards will not relent to beat you."</p><p>"Uh... please don't." he asked, the guard making a huff, sounding almost amused by his request.</p><p>"You ought to listen, savage." he simply warned the Water Tribesman, before pushing him once more, forcing him to continue pacing along.</p><p>Sokka was about to think of another snarky comment, but was distracted by the sudden sound of a booming explosion, the Water Tribesman's eyes darting over in the direction of where he could see a large smokestack forming; he was utterly confused by what he had just seen, and Azula stopped walking, before flames appeared in both her hands.</p><p>"What just exploded?" he asked her, the Princess snarling, the fury visible in her eyes.</p><p>"My damn tank-train." she explained, before pointing to their left, "Take the savage to Zhiying at once, and cut his binds."</p><p>"Y-your highness, you want me to free him?" the guard behind him asked his superior.</p><p>"That was an order, not a suggestion." she snarled at him, pointing where she had once more, "Go!"</p><p>Sokka looked at her with a surprised face, confused as to why she was willing to let him go free all of a sudden, "Why?" he asked her, the Princess pointing toward the hills that lined the western edge of the campsite; Sokka could see some figures in the distance, and was unsure who they were, but had a feeling that they had something to do with the assassins they had fought a few days prior.</p><p>"Get that stupid weapon of yours, and show me you're not completely incompetent."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Combustion Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Fire Lord Azulon wouldn't usually invite people to his personal study, even his own son, and because of that, Iroh was a little concerned about it; his father had not been in the best of health for the past few months, and he knew that he might pass soon. Azulon was still doing his duties, as any Fire Lord would be expected to do, but the Crown Prince had had a lot of the duties already burdened upon himself; convening councils concerning the less 'interesting' aspects of government formed a large part of it. His father had little concern for things like tax policy and the intricacies of trade quotas between the colonies and homeland, but Iroh was forced to deal with them. He didn't have much issue with doing so, but he wasn't the most knowledgeable in those areas, given he'd spent most of his years off at the front, fighting for his country.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When he arrived at the door of his father's study, the Imperial Firebenders immediately opened the door for him, obviously being informed of his visit; when he stepped inside, he saw his father sitting at his desk, looking over a scroll intently. He glanced up to see his son, and gave him a small smile, seeming to be glad to see him, though that smile quickly faded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My son, did the meetings go well earlier?" he asked, the Crown Prince nodding, instinctively placing his hands behind his back, as he used to when he was a young child.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, they did, Father. Is that why you called on me, to discuss the meetings?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, actually." he admitted, before gesturing to the seat across from him, on the opposite side of the desk, "Get us some tea." he called on a servant who was standing on the ready; they bowed, and immediately paced out the door, past Iroh, who sat himself down on the seat his father had told him to.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you feeling well, Father?" he asked him, the Fire Lord sighing, sounding frustrated by his question.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm an old man, Iroh." he simply told him, before narrowing his eyes at him, "Do you know what's coming, my son?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, well, we were going to have meetings about the siege plans for Omashu, the last major stronghold in the Earth Kingdom." he recalled, his father shaking his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, Iroh, not damn Omashu." he retorted with a gruff tone, chiding him as if he was still a little boy, "You're going to be the Fire Lord."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He turned his eyes down, not knowing how to feel about his father's impending demise; he had once loved his father, but he didn't know if it was love, or simply fear. He wanted to love him, but in knowing everything he did, he found it hard to like him very much, even if he wouldn't wish harm upon him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know that, Father. I have prepared my entire life for it." he acknowledged the efforts he'd put in; he had been Crown Prince since the moment he was born, and soon enough, he would fulfil the destiny his father believed to be his most important one- above the aspirations for Ba Sing Se that he had once held.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I've heard enough to say that the people love you, Iroh." he acknowledged, "Especially soldiers." he added, "That's good, but it's not good enough."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I understand." he agreed with him, "I have to have the respect of the people who will be serving me directly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That is the gist of it." he nodded, "I know you aren't a fool, Iroh. You've learnt much, especially as of recent." he noted, "Your retirement has been less of a retirement than you might have wanted." he added, the Dragon of the West wincing; he had wanted to return home and relax a little after what had happened in Ba Sing Se, so he could get his mind off of all that he'd been through, but instead, he was thrown back into work, though a different kind than to what he was used to.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Learning is just part of it." he observed, "That's what you were going to get to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he confirmed, before he looked down at his scroll, "Do you know that I had a brother, Iroh?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A brother." he raised a brow, realising that his father had never mentioned him having any siblings; there was nothing on the records about it, and he hadn't learned of it in school, "Why is this the first time I'm hearing of this."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because he died as a child." he explained, "In an accident, long before I was born.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What was his name?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Roku." he simply told him, the Crown Prince's eyes widening in shock.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You mean... he was named after that Roku." he deduced, his father nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's why nobody speaks of him." Azulon admitted, "My father's firstborn, named after his best friend, at the time." he acknowledged, narrowing his eyes, "Do you know why I am perfectly fine with him being dead?" he bluntly asked him, the Crown Prince tensing his fingers as he realised what his father was implying.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because you wouldn't be the Fire Lord?" he asked, the Fire Lord chuckling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, because I wouldn't be alive, my son. The only reason I was born was because my father had no heirs when he was nearly as old as me right now." he admitted bluntly, "I was born for a reason, and you my son, were born because I loved my wife." he explained, making the Crown prince grimace as he realised that despite all the anger he had to dish out to others, whether it be his children, servants or the ministers of his government, he had once been a man who cared deeply for his family.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you... do you miss Mother?" he asked him, his father nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Every day." he admitted honestly, "But I try not to think about her, because it reminds me of the mistakes I've made."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He wanted to ask him what mistakes exactly he was referring to, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Ozai; he was born when their mother was already quite old, at least in terms of a woman giving birth, and she was sickly after his birth. She died a few years after from an infection, and Azulon was distraught over it. That was when he became cold, truly cold, and took no pleasure in raising his second son; Iroh had wanted to help his brother, but he was always so conflictive, and jealous, and every effort he made only made him realise how futile it was. That was exactly why he didn't want Zuko to continue despising his younger sister, because he knew that eventually, he'd end up just like his father if he continued to let those feelings consume him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is that why... is that why you never told me to remarry?" he asked, the Fire Lord sighing, placing his hands down in front of him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You've always been soft Iroh. I didn't want to bring any more anguish for you, or give your son a woman to spite, if she gave you any more heirs." he acknowledged, "Your son was a good boy, and he served our nation valiantly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn't know how to respond to his father's comments; he knew that he held some care for Lu Ten, but he was blinded to the futility of his death. His grandson had died for the sake of a war that never should have been waged to begin with, and Iroh was such a fool that he didn't realise that until after the fact.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, Father." he admitted honestly, knowing that at the very least, his father held sympathy to his pain, both more recently, and in years past.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You don't need to thank me, Iroh." he simply told him, without any emotion in his voice, "I didn't do it for you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You did it for the Fire Nation." he said what his father was trying to say without actually saying it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You've done your service, my son." he simply told him, before his attention turned behind him, and Iroh turned around as well, spotting the servant who was bringing them a tray with a teapot and cups.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He placed it down in front of them, before picking up the pot and pouring them both a cup of tea; he placed the pot down, before turning his eyes to his Fire Lord.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Your majesty, would you like to be left alone with your son?" he asked, the Fire Lord simply nodding, and with that, the servant strode out of the study, and closed the door behind him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azulon picked up his cup, and sniffed the tea, before narrowing his eyes at his son, "But Iroh, I must warn you, the office of Fire Lord changes you, and requires things of you that I know you might not be comfortable doing." he acknowledged.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You told me once that being Fire Lord was my purpose, my destiny." Iroh recalled, picking up his own cup of tea, "I am ready for my destiny."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no you are not." he retorted, "But you must handle it all the same." he added, before sipping from his cup.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Dragon of the West was concerned by his father's words; he usually held resolute belief in his son, and hadn't doubted him for quite a long time. Publically, he'd never say anything so doubtful of the man he expected to succeed him in the next few years.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father... what's wrong?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you blind, my son?" he asked him, "Has your grief blinded you to the future you face? You will be the first Fire Lord to rule over a new age of peace, and though I am sure you will find comfort in that, you should not."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Crown Prince held his teacup up to his lips, and wondered whether he should sip from it, or respond to his father's warning; he was being vague and proverbial, something Iroh was honestly quite guilty of himself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What is the danger I face?" he asked him, before shaking his head, "I know." he corrected himself, realising that his father was referring to the war that was going on beneath the roof of the palace; Ozai was making machinations, and Azulon already knew it, and he was afraid- he loved his country, and he wanted to protect it, and even if it was more for reasons of pride, and not altruism, Iroh held the very same belief.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you have the skill and knowledge to be a great Fire Lord, Iroh." he acknowledged his son's merits, "And you can give that skill to your heirs. They're both a little dumb and cocky, but that's probably just because they're children."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Children aren't the smartest." he conceded, "But they have hopes and aspirations. I know they will serve our nation like... like how Lu Ten wanted to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That they will." Azulon nodded, before his expression became more serious, "You know what's coming. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be coming to every single war council meeting, eyeing off your brother like a bird of prey." he told his son what he had seen; Iroh was concerned about his brother, but he didn't know enough about his plans, nor his associates, to do anything about it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What should I do, Father?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Deal with the problem when it comes to you." he simply acknowledged, "If you do not defend your right, then it will be taken from you. A Fire Lord is expected to defend his throne and dignity the same he defends his country and defend his people."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I remember." he acknowledged, knowing that was something his father liked to tell him when he was a young boy, and was one of the things he told himself when he went off to fight for his country.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, will you do it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know I'm strong enough, I just don't know if I have the will to do it." he admitted, his father looking at him with a sympathetic face, though it quickly shifted as he sparked a flame in his finger, lighting his face with an orange hue.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you do not, then his treachery will be justified. The strong rule over the weak, Prince Iroh."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Smoke was heavy in the air, and Azula knew that things could have gone better; perhaps going to Omashu to begin with was a mistake; getting away from the assassins might have been easier if she had taken her uncle straight to the Fire Nation Capital, and dropped any pretenses of capturing Aang. However, it seemed like life had different plans for her, and given she couldn't have refused the Fire Lord, she felt like the blame was squarely on him; that was, of course, until she remembered her father was the one who ordered the assassins to kill the Fire Lord, at which point, her rage became more conflicted.</p><p>She knew that what her father was doing was against the code of honour that their family espoused and adhered to: if they were going to fight and kill their enemies, they ought to do it themselves. Her father had inadvertently outed himself as a coward, if what her uncle was telling her was completely true. Thinking of her father's cowardice didn't exactly help her, given he was his father; she had respected him her entire life, and now everything she knew had been turned on its head. All she could be certain of was that she had to stop the assassins, and she would use any means to do so. Ending their pitiful existence was her ultimate goal, but that did not come before protecting her uncle; that was the whole reason she'd gone on her wild excursion to Omashu in the end.</p><p>So when she covered her palms with her blue flames, and shouted out toward her enemies, mocking and prodding them into coming to fight her, she could only wonder what had happened to her uncle. The tank-train had been devastated by an explosion, though it was clear that the part her uncle had been in, getting changed back into his royal robes, had not been destroyed. She wanted to go see if he was alright, but she knew that her primary goal had to be to make sure the assassins didn't reach him. It didn't matter if he was alive if she let them come to try and kill him.</p><p>"Argh!" she heard the voice of one of her guards, who was stumbling out of the tank-train, clearly injured from the explosion.</p><p>He had blood dripping down his face, and looked at her with a pained, exasperated look, "Your highness..." he reached his hand out, before he fell down to his knee.</p><p>She considered whether she ought to help him, but figured he might know about the state of her uncle, so she approached, offering him a hand of assistance; he looked up at her, and accepted it, though cautiously at that.</p><p>"Where is he?" she asked him rather simply, the Imperial Firebender looking back toward the tank-train, his expression becoming more frantic.</p><p>"Oh, spirits. The Fire Lord's still inside." he realised, Azula glancing back the way he had come; it didn't look like that section of the tank-train would contain any other survivors, though she was unsure her uncle was inside to begin with.</p><p>She had left him there, but he didn't indicate that he was just going to sit in the tank-train and wait for her; no matter what he had done, or where he had gone, she needed to find him and keep him safe from the assassins who were just around the corner. She glanced up the hill behind the tank-train, and realised there were half a dozen men, rushing down the slope right in her direction.</p><p>"Shit." she mumbled, before turning around, wanting to help the guard get away from the enemy as quickly as she could, "Where are you, old man?" she growled under her breath as she pulled the Imperial Firebender along, as he limped in pain; she looked ahead, and noted that more of her guards were moving back toward the tank-train, and would be able to provide assistance.</p><p>She made a small smile, simply relieved that she wouldn't be fighting the assassins alone; though she knew could take them, that didn't mean that she was willing to run into battle without support. The danger of getting injured or hit by one of the most dangerous assassin's attacks. She remembered that one of the men in the order had called him Sanyan, though they were doubtful of that being his true name; it was of little concern to her, as she didn't care for his identity, but only for his intent. He was set on killing her uncle, and she would do everything in her power to stop him.</p><p>She had a rather stark reminder of his power when suddenly, an explosion suddenly occurred in front of her, blasting her guards away, and knocking her and the man she was helping off of their feet; when her head hit the ground, her ears began to ring, and she cringed in pain, grasping her head as she tried to reorient herself. She was Princess Azula, not just any soldier, and she knew that she hadn't trained all her life just to be made a fool of by some powerful assassin who had a grand total of one trick; her pain and frustration quickly became anger, and though she would usually chide herself for losing her cool, she was in a life and death situation.</p><p>There was no time to feel superior about her attempted amorality and apathy towards the lives and wellbeing of others; it hadn't gotten her very far, and actually, when she had foregone it, it had earned her the respect of her guards, who were seemingly willing to put their lives on the line to help her- she could see through her blurry vision two guards running up toward her. They reached down to help her up, and she immediately glanced back, trying to focus on wherever the attack had come from.</p><p>"Y-you fools!" she growled at them, "Get out of here!" she told them, knowing that they were going to get themselves killed if they were all hit by another one of those explosions.</p><p>"Not without you, your highness." one of them stressed, pulling her up to her feet, which despite helping her, did not dissuade her fear; she was bracing for another explosion, and feared that her next breath might be her last.</p><p>A few moments later, however, she noticed what had to be a dozen fire streams, all sent up toward the hill slope, presumably to try and kill the assassin; she was unsure of the result, but the flames made a mighty explosion, and her guards helped her pace away, still unable to keep her own balance. She shook her head, knowing that such weakness would get her dead, very much sooner rather than later. Azula was helped along back toward the cover of a few tents, and watched as some soldiers moved up past them to go fight the assassins; she was relieved that they were fighting at an encampment at the very least, as it would make sure they had as much men as possible to go fight the assassins, instead of a small group of Imperial Firebenders, who despite their skill, probably wouldn't be too much of a hassle for a man like Sanyan.</p><p>"I have to find Uncle." she explained to them rather simply, "If they catch him, you know what they'll do." she told the guards, who nodded in agreement with her sentiment.</p><p>"We'll find his majesty, but we can't just run out there. That man is a monster; he could kill us all with one well aimed explosion." one of her guards warned her; she already understood the danger, but that did not dissuade her.</p><p>This was not like the last fight, where it was just her pride at stake; her uncle's very life was, as well as the life of all the soldiers in Zhiying's army, or at least, those who were there to fight alongside them. Azula knew of the honour that would come about serving her country, and was sure that saving and protecting those lives was something that would give her perhaps as much respect as capturing the Avatar might. She realised there was one problem she faced above all else, and she was too worried to try and fail to see if it was still a problem.</p><p>"I can't generate lightning." she explained bluntly, the guards looking at her with concerned faces.</p><p>"Then..." one of them glanced back toward where the assassins were coming from, "We'll have to kill him by hand."</p><p>"If we can distract him enough, maybe I can burn him alive if I get close, but I doubt this man is a pushover of a firebender." she acknowledged, "Maybe I'll have to decapitate him."</p><p>"De-" one of her guards looked at her with a clearly concerned face, "H-how?!"</p><p>"An axe. What else? They must have some around." she guessed, her guards looking at her with clearly uneased expressions.</p><p>"He's going to kill us if we get that close." one of them bluntly told her, "Firebending might do it."</p><p>"A lot of fire." another guard added, before shaking his head, "Let's just go around so we can reach the Fire Lord, and then get him to safety. Then we'll figure out how to kill this bastard."</p><p>"Sounds like a plan." Azula agreed to his proposition, rising back up to her full height; though she was still somewhat disoriented from getting her head knocked, she was ready to fight, at least as she could ever be, "Where's the savage?" she asked, remembering that she had sent one of her men to let him get his weapons and have his shackles taken off; she knew he'd be more useful fighting beside her than as a mere prisoner, especially given the ranged weapon he wielded.</p><p>"Probably still getting his weapons." the guard who had initially accompanied her from Sokka's holding tent suggested, before placing his hands together, "We don't need some Water Tribe savage getting in our way. We can protect you, your highness."</p><p>"That's what is expected of you all." she acknowledged, before she glanced over the tent they were covering behind, "Let's get over to the tank-train. The other assassins are going to be coming down soon enough, so I need you all to provide cover." she explained, the guards nodding before she began to pace ahead, keeping cover behind the tents as she tried to get closer to the tank-train.</p><p>She could see the soldiers who had come to assist fighting the assassins, each group throwing fire streams each other's way, creating massive walls of fire that towered up into the sky, blocking her view of the tank-train. Azula could hear cries, grunts and shouts, and knew that the fight wasn't necessarily going in one side's favour yet; she got another timely reminder of the assassin's danger when another explosion hit nearby, blasting dirt and smoke into the air. The explosion was quite loud, so she was forced to cover her ears; she cringed, and realised her guards were afraid, making finicky, panicked movements as they followed after her, wondering if they were next.</p><p>She tried to ignore her own fears, but even then, that was hard for her to achieve; she had every reason to be afraid of Sanyan, who had to be one of the most firebenders she had seen. Of course, she realised his spectacularly dangerous skill mightn't translate to conventional firebending skills; she hoped that he was incompetent in that regard, given it would make her task easier. Burning him alive would be the most straightforward way to kill him without lightning. She glanced up above the tents once more, seeing more of the assassins moving past the tank-train, circling around to try and find her uncle. She decided that defeating them was the present priority she had, and thus, she leapt up over the tent with assistance of jets of fire that she shot out from her heels.</p><p>"Hey!" she called on them, to get their attention, "I wasn't finished destroying you." she warned them, before she spun her right leg around, charging an arc of flames which she sent toward the enemy; they were forced back by the attack, but immediately retaliated with fire streams, sending them all her way.</p><p>She glanced back, and realised her guards were coming to assist her; to hold the attacks off, she raised her hands up, creating a massive wall of flames which towered up into the air. Even if she couldn't generate lightning, she could most certainly scare her opponents with the power and ferocity of her firebending. Her guards quickly joined her, and when she dropped her wall of flames, they spun their hands around, charging bolts of flames in their hands before simultaneously attacking the enemy. The attacks were fast and numerous enough to overwhelm the enemy, making the Princess grin, nearly ecstatic at the victory they had achieved.</p><p>She raised her right leg up, and bent a stream of fire out of her heel, throwing one of the enemy soldiers right off his feet while he was recovering from her guards' attack; she didn't relent to run at them, spinning her hands around to charge bolts of fire in each fist, which she sent out in quick succession, hitting two of the assassins in their heads, knocking them out cold. She conjured two fire whips in either of her hands, using them to grapple the assassins, before she pulled them closer jabbing each of them in the gut with flame-covered fists. They cried out in pain, and she let herself smile, knowing for what anguish they'd put them all through, they were deserving of it.</p><p>"Have you learned your lesson?" she asked them, grabbing one by the neck as she gathered flames in her other hand, "Or do I need to teach you all some more?"</p><p>The man screamed out in fear as she pummelled him in the head, throwing him backwards and into the ground; the flames had been hot enough that his face actually caught on fire, and he screamed as he rolled around, trying to put the flames out.</p><p>"That's for trying to kill him." she snarled at them, before charging two more bolts in either hand, "Kill them all!" she commanded her guards, "We gave them their chance."</p><p>And with that, her guards sent fire streams right at their enemies, Azula firing her own streams toward them out of both fists; suddenly, she saw a glint of light past the enemies, on the hill, and realised that the assassin was about to attack them. With only a moment to act, she bent her flames down, turning them into a massive wall of flames which appeared between her and the enemy. The explosion hit a moment later, dissipating her wall of flames, and threw her into the air, presumably along with her guards. Azula held her hands up, deflecting her own flames away as she was tossed into a tent, her body ripping through the canvas, making her hit the ground at a slower pace than she might have otherwise. Her head hit the ground again, and she was thrown into a daze.</p><p>Azula could only sense the ringing in her ears, closing her eyes earlier to stop the glare from her own flames coming at her; she felt burning sensations over her body, though that was probably because of the singing her own flames caused, though she'd deflected much of the explosion's force away from herself. She groaned in pain, raising her hand to her head, which continued to ache, and tried to look out for wherever the enemy was. She heard another explosion, though it was in the distance, and thus didn't seem to pose a danger to her; the ground still shok, and she tensed up concerned that Sanyan might try and kill her and her guards again.</p><p>She tried to pull herself up, but suddenly felt herself grappled by the collar; blinking a few times, the Princess realised that one of the assassins had got to her, and was charging flames in his hand. She began to frantically kick at him, trying to get some flames into her hands, so she could hit him off of her; when tried to, however, he punched her in the head, and she was flung back down into the ground. Her eyes rolled back as she gasped out for air, trying to remain some kind of control over her bending so she could defeat him; she needed to win, and she repeated the same words in her head: 'you are strong', hoping that by thinking them, they would be true.</p><p>The assassin seemed poised to hit her again, but suddenly he was knocked unconscious by a fast-moving object; she thought for a moment that he had been hit by one of her guards, but when she saw the blue and white blade on the ground beside her, she realised who exactly had come to join the fight. A few moments later, Sokka paced over toward her, his hands unbound, with his club on his back, ready to help her; he offered a hand out, and the grimace on his face told her that he must have sympathised with her plight.</p><p>"You need a hand, ash-maker?" he asked her, the Princess sighing with frustration as she accepted his hand; she didn't want to acknowledge his insulting way of referring to her, but he had saved her face from being burnt off, after all.</p><p>"Shut up and beat those bastards up!" she commanded him, making him scoff as he moved to pick up his weapon.</p><p>"Alright, I'll take that as a 'thank you'." he commented, before taking a fighting stance beside her, throwing his weapon on a wide arc at one of the assassins, who was about to attack one of her downed guards; it hit the assassin in the back of the head, knocking him out cold, which Azula was impressed by, though she would never admit it.</p><p>"Where's the Fire Lord, anyway?" he asked her, the Princess unsure if he was in any way concerned about Iroh, or simply just trying to help her out- whatever it was, she knew she just had to be blunt about the matter.</p><p>"That's what I'm trying to find out." she simply told him, before bending a fire stream out of her right fist, hitting an assassin who had tried to charge at them, "We need to get out of the way of the explosions." she explained to the Water Tribe teen, who eyed her guards.</p><p>"He must be aiming all around, trying to get as much of them as he can." he observed, "He'll fire back here again."</p><p>"Can you hit him?" she asked the Water Tribesman, whose eyes widened; he obviously hadn't considered the possibility of using his weapon to do something like that.</p><p>"Well, there's only one way to find out." he decided, before eyeing his weapon, which was on the ground beside the assassin he'd knocked out, "Cover me." he requested.</p><p>She didn't respond to his words, not wanting to take any kind of order from a snow savage, and instead decided to send out a volley of fireballs toward the assassins who were heading in that direction, turning their attention toward her instead of him. She kept them distracted by spinning her foot around, creating an arc of flames, which knocked them down. Suddenly, she heard a scream of agony, and it wasn't from any of her Imperial Firebenders; Sokka's attention was drawn just the same toward the tank-train, where she could see a man stumbling out of it, clearly an assassin from his attire, and most noticeably missing his right arm, which wasn't even bleeding.</p><p>"He'll kill us all!" he warned his comrades, before he was thrown off his feet, and down onto the rough gravelly surface by a massive fireball.</p><p>A few moments later, a figure emerged from the smoke, his robes torn and his head bleeding, but she recognised him at once, realising that the look on his face was not one that she'd seen in a long time. The Dragon of West did not die in Ba Sing Se, he had just been in a long slumber; the men she had been fighting turned around, and she could see how they trembled. Her uncle did not shout, or warn them, he simply conjured a fire whip, grasping one of them by the neck, making him scream out in pain as he was thrown down to the ground.</p><p>"It's him." one of them gasped, obviously realising who they were about to face.</p><p>They tried their best to defend themselves with a wall of flames collaboratively, but Iroh simply parted it in two with his hands as he approached them, covering his hands in flames, lighting his face a bright orange hue, casting a shadow that she'd only ever see on it when he was sitting on his throne, which she had never actually seen him on. The assassins began to stumble back, and she took the advantage to hit them to the ground with her fire streams; once they were down, her uncle began to approach her, limping slightly, with a relieved look on his face. Suddenly, however, he turned around, and conjured a massive fire stream which he directed right toward Sanyan, who was standing on the hillslope, ready to send another explosion into them. That explosion occurred midair instead, causing flames to rain down from the sky like some kind of volcanic eruption.</p><p>"Who... who is that?" Sokka asked her with a clearly fearful voice, the Princess pursing her lips upward; she could tell him his identity bluntly, but there was only one thing she could imagine as she looked at her uncle- General Iroh, the great hero of her nation, who had not lost a battle in decades, and with good reason.</p><p>"The man who conquered Ba Sing Se."</p><hr/><p>She had burns and singe marks across her face and arms, and her robes were in tatters; Iroh knew from just looking at her that he had failed his niece. He had to protect her, not because she needed protection, but because it was his duty as an uncle; he had failed Lu Ten, and he could not fail her, not after all that she had done for him, and the faith that she had placed in him over her father, who she had every reason to support. She looked at him with a smile, obviously glad that he was alright, and probably more so that he had deflected the assassin's previous attack; he had to, so he could give them a chance to get away. The assassins had given him a lot of trouble, but he was furious in his bending and merciless to them, at least as much as he could be. Iroh had not powered his flames through his rage, but through his bond with and desire to protect his beloved niece. She had lost everything on their trip to Omashu- her identity, and much of her drive, along with the strength that she relied on to defeat their enemies.</p><p>He approached Azula, and raised a finger in the direction of the opposite side of camp, "Please, go." he told her, beggingly.</p><p>Her eyes widened, and realised, presumably, the fear that Iroh had for her sake, and the sake of everyone in the camp. All of their lives were at stake, and he was the only one who could stop them.</p><p>"Uncle, we have to-"</p><p>"No, I have to." he corrected her, not wanting her anywhere near the so-called Sanyan, "I will end this, once and for all."</p><p>"Your highness, we are here to assist you." he heard a soldier proclaim, the Fire Lord turning around to see a dozen or so soldiers, most of them firebenders, approaching them; he could no longer hide, and the benefits he had from doing so were outweighed greatly by the dangers that it put his niece and everyone around him in, "Y-your majesty." the soldier bowed toward Iroh upon seeing him, "I didn't... we didn't realise you were here."</p><p>"That was on purpose." he clarified, before turning around to face where Sanyan had been standing, "I will deal with the most dangerous one." he explained, "But I will need you all to handle the rest. I trust in all your resolve to protect your fellow men." he observed, the soldiers nodding, the firebenders filling their hands with flames while the non-benders drew out swords.</p><p>"Your will is our command." the soldier assured him, before taking a fighting stance alongside his comrades.</p><p>"For the Fire Nation!" they all shouted out, conjuring a fire stream which he sent at one of the remaining assassins, who struggled to defend himself.</p><p>Azula stepped closer to her uncle, placing a hand on his shoulder, "You're alright." she observed, "I am sure you know what to do."</p><p>"I do, my niece." he confirmed, before turning his eyes to the Water Tribe teenager who was looking at him with a mixture of awe and fear, "And who's this?"</p><p>"Sokka. One of the Avatar's Water Tribe friends." she clarified, "He may be of assistance." she acknowledged, the Fire Lord nodding.</p><p>"Well, I'm surprised you're willing to help us." he conceded, before making a slight bow, "Thank you, Sokka."</p><p>"Uh, well, that guy nearly killed me, Katara and Aang the other day, so I have no issue helping you kick his butt." he assured him, making the Fire Lord chuckle.</p><p>"Good to hear." he acknowledged, before he readied himself into a firebending stance, looking up the hill as he anticipated the next attack from the most dangerous of the assassins, "He will try and kill us."</p><p>"And he will not succeed." Azula assured him, "Sokka, can you hit him in the head with your weapon?"</p><p>"Can I..." he trailed off, jaw dropping as he imagined such a move, before he pursed his lips upward; it was the same kind of cocky smile that his nephew made when he thought he'd figured something out, "Oh, I might be able to." he agreed, his expression becoming more serious, "We need to get closer though."</p><p>Iroh nodded, agreeing to his proposition, "I'll provide cover with my firebending, and then we'll approach." he decided, turning his eyes to Azula, noting that she was breathing rather heavily, and her burns were still fresh, "Are you alright, Azula?"</p><p>"I can fight, Uncle." she assured him, "We can't face him head on until you've got an assured hit." she acknowledged, "That'll be hard if he can still shoot explosions from his mind."</p><p>"That's where I come in." Sokka clarified, before he began to pace ahead, "Fire away. I mean... literally, shoot him."</p><p>"I'm not-" she began to retort, before snarling, shooting out two fire streams from either fist, aiming them right at Sanyan, "Goǃ" she told her uncle, who nodded, knowing that they had to move while they could.</p><p>Iroh paced on after the Water Tribesman, finding his initiative almost a little worrying; he certainly reminded him of his niece in that regard. They made their way around the wreckage of the tank-train, giving them a clear view of the hill slope that soldiers were still continuing to pummel with fire streams, though they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Azula's attack, however, seemed to overwhelm the assassin for a moment, as he was thrown back. The Dragon of the West grimaced as he realised that he was already getting up, and immediately turned his attention to Sokka in front of him, understanding the danger they were both in at that very moment.</p><p>"Get to the rockǃ" he gestured to a large boulder sticking out of the slope, which both of them dashed to for cover, before Sanyan could try and kill them with a well-aimed explosion.</p><p>Just as they reached the cover of the rock, the ground shook violently as an explosion hit the ground behind, firing up dirt into their faces; Iroh covered his eyes, and by the time he had uncovered them, flames had spread around the campsite beside him; he grimaced at the sound of screams and shouts, and despite not being Fire Nation, nor having anything to do with the men in the camp, Sokka seemed to feel a similar emotion about it.</p><p>"We have to stop this guy." he stressed, pulling his weapon off of his back, "Uh, your highness, Fire Lord, sir, could you go shoot some flames at him so I can get closer?" he asked him rather awkwardly, Iroh nodding as he took a deep breath, flames forming on his palms.</p><p>"I can." he assured him, pointing toward another rock up the rather steep hill slope, "Go!" he shouted, and the Water Tribe teen did not hesitate in the slightest, sprinting in the direction of the next boulder up the slope.</p><p>Not wanting to let the assassin fire upon him, the Dragon of the West rose up to his feet, and spun his arms around, conjuring a mass of flames which he sent at him, like a massive wave. He was able to defend himself, bending the flames away from him as he seemed to be looking for his next target.</p><p>"Hey!" he heard the distinctive voice of his niece, who he saw racing up behind him, holding her hands behind her to boost her along with her flames, before she directed said flames right up at the assassin, her fire stream impressive as it rushed toward the assassin.</p><p>Another explosion went off, this time mid-air, as the fire stream caught the attack before it could hit the ground; the blast of hot air that it caused nearly threw Iroh off of his feet, and he immediately crouched down for cover, knowing that he had to do something, sooner rather than later. Trying to shoot Sanyan with a lightning bolt wouldn't work, given it would take him too long to generate the attack, in the time which the assassin would have a clean shot to kill him.</p><p>Azula paced over to him, and offered her uncle a hand, "Let's get him, Uncle." she suggested, Iroh nodding as he rose up to his feet; the two of them began to bend flames out of their hands in synchronisation, which grew into large fire streams as all four of them converged toward the assassin.</p><p>The flames hit his position, though they disguised whether their attack had been successful or not, though the sound of the flames striking the hillslide was loud enough that Iroh could say they had beaten him, even if only for a moment. He turned his gaze around, and noted that some of the assassins were withdrawing, climbing up the hill, and some of them noticed the three of them, deciding to aim their attacks their way instead of toward the soldiers who were pursuing them. When the flames approached the rock, Azula stood up tall and simply raised her left hand up, the mass of fireballs, bolts of fire and fire streams bending around them both, as if she were a rock in a stream parting its flow.</p><p>She was forced to turn her attention away from them as Sanyan rose back up to his feet, looking rather infuriated by their resistance, he turned his head toward Azula, who instead of redirecting the flames, decided to attack him instead; Iroh took up the task of protecting them from the other assassins' firebending, redirecting the flames away from them as his niece threw all her strength into attacking the powerful assassin. He sent out another explosion, and like last time, it hit the fire stream instead of the rock, protecting them from its effects. The heat brushed over them, and Iroh grit his teeth, realising that it was still hurting them, even if it was nowhere near as dangerous as an explosion right in front of them.</p><p>Suddenly, his niece turned her head, before she restarted her attack, "Sokka!" she shouted at the Water Tribe boy, "Do it!"</p><p>Iroh looked up over the rock, and watched as Sokka aimed his weapon at the assassin, who was distracted by Azula's barraging of flames; impressively enough, he threw his odd-looking weapon into the air, causing it to spin around as it moved in a wide arc toward Sanyan. Before he could try and attack them again, he was struck square in the forehead and stumbled back.</p><p>Knowing it was his only chance, the Dragon of the West stepped past the rock they were covering behind, spinning his fingers around; all he focused on was his chi, and his inner flame being manipulated as he felt the sparks gathering around his finger tips. He had one goal, and that was to protect them all from the danger that stood on the hill above them; Iroh did not feel guilt, nor a desire to solve the issue in any other way. There was no other way, so when he let the lightning bolt loose out of his right hand, aimed square at the assassin's chest, he did not relent in the slightest.</p><p>The thundering boom of the lightning bolt as it struck the assassin, and the blast of light accompanied with it distracted everyone for a few moments. Though the power had seemed overwhelming for a moment, Iroh was forced to take a deep breath as he felt his energy drained. The assassins looked toward him with fear, realising what he had just done, and he did not relent to begin moving his fingers around again, the men running away for their lives as he readied himself to generate another lightning bolt.</p><p>Before he could do it, his niece placed a hand on his shoulder, "No, Uncle." she stressed, "Don't waste your strength." she warned him, before she thrust her left hand forward, a fire stream coursing out of it, hitting the assassins as they tried to flee.</p><p>He took another deep breath, and slumped down behind the rock, exhausted by everything he'd just been through, and in severe need of a cup of tea; though he knew it wouldn't solve all his problems, it might at the very least improve his mood. Azula knelt down beside him, looking at him with a serious, straight face, though he could tell that she was as concerned about him as he was about her.</p><p>"Uncle, you need to see a physician." she warned him, the Fire Lord shaking his head.</p><p>"No, just some tea, thank you." he asked, "I haven't drunk anything since we left Omashu."</p><p>"Now is not the time for that." she narrowed her eyes at him, "You need to rest."</p><p>"I do." he agreed, before glancing across the campsite in front of him; there was a lot of damage, from firebending and explosions alike, and he didn't know how many casualties there would be.</p><p>A few moments later, Sokka appeared beside him, looking surprised by, if not a little afraid of, the Fire Lord, "Uh, you did it." he acknowledged, "I can't believe he's finally dead... explosion guy."</p><p>"That's not his name." Azula retorted, before narrowing her eyes, "Not that we know his name. Only a pseudonym- Sanyan." she clarified, before glancing up toward the man Iroh had just killed, "Nobody can survive a lightning bolt to the chest."</p><p>"That's actually not true." the Fire Lord clarified, "I know how to deal with lightning." he explained, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him, with the Water Tribesman looking at them with understandable confusion.</p><p>"Sorry, deal with it?" he asked, "Can you bend it away or something?" he asked, the Fire Lord chuckling.</p><p>"Uh, something like that." he admitted, before his niece grasped him by the shoulder.</p><p>"Then we have no reason not to go to the Capital right now, Uncle." she explained, and knowing that she was right, he nodded.</p><p>"That's why I've never been afraid of him." he simply told her, before he looked at the young Water Tribesman, who seemed understandably confused by their conversation topic, "My brother, that is."</p><p>"What does he have anything to do with this?" he asked, before glancing up at the assassins they had been fighting, "Wait... you mean..." he mumbled, Azula grasping him by the shoulder, staring him down with a rather serious and cold expression.</p><p>"You will not mention that to anybody." she warned him, "It is in everyone's interest that it isn't common knowledge the Royal Family are trying to kill each other."</p><p>He seemed rather intimidated by the Princess, and gave a resolute nod to assure he understood her words, "So, uh... you're going to go fight him?" Sokka asked Azula, who nodded, before he looked back up the hill, "I mean, I can see why you'd want to fight him, your majesty."</p><p>"It seems that's inevitable now." Iroh acknowledged, making his niece grimace.</p><p>"It is." she agreed with him, though she didn't sound very happy in saying so; she turned her gaze around to face the camp, and her straight face faltered, "Uncle... everybody knows you're here now."</p><p>"I know that." he sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it now."</p><p>She rose up to her full height, and glanced around, "Well, we should get you to the infirmary, and find General Zhiying." she decided, before narrowing her eyes at Sokka, "Don't try and run away." she warned him, the Water Tribe teen raising his hands up.</p><p>"N-no, I won't." he assured her, sounding rather afraid; Iroh wasn't if he was afraid of him or of his niece, "I don't even know where Aang and Katara are." he added, the Fire Lord grimacing somewhat; the boy had been captured and taken away from his friends, and now, he was stuck with a bunch of people he had good reason to fear and disdain, "I need to go get my boomerang." he clarified, "I'm not running away."</p><p>Azula shrugged her shoulders, "Go ahead." she permitted him to leave, before offering her uncle a hand.</p><p>She then eyed the soldiers who were attacking the last of the assassins; it was unlikely the assassins would bother to attack the Water Tribesman, and he probably realised the same as he began to stride up the slope toward where Sanyan's body was lying.</p><p>"Thank you, Niece." Iroh smiled at her, "But... I was not joking about the tea. I really do need a cup." he stressed, making her roll her eyes.</p><p>"You can get it once you get your burns looked at." she decided; he was a little amused that she was giving the orders to him instead of the other way around, though it didn't surprise him- she had always been demanding and bossy, even when she was a little girl.</p><p>"Of course." he assured her, before falling down to one knee, "What a day." he mumbled to himself, sighing as he realised how much pain he was in.</p><p>"Please, Uncle." he heard his niece address him, a little more pleadingly, "Just come with me." she asked him, grasping him by the shoulder, helping the Fire Lord up to his feet.</p><p>As they made their way down the slope, Iroh looked upon the camp, uneasy at the carnage before him; the very fact his brother's machinations had led to it made him feel all the more guilty for not facing him when Zuko first brought his plotting to his attention. His nephew mightn't have known what Ozai intended to do, but he seemed to have had more foresight than him, which made him feel disappointed in his own wisdom- he thought after all his years as a general, he'd be a bit more strategically minded, especially when it came to the politics of his nation.</p><p>"So much suffering... for so little gain." he described what he saw before him.</p><p>"We're alive, Uncle. That's a gain." Azula reminded him, the Fire Lord remembering how he had felt when he first saw her upon leaving the ruins of the tank-train.</p><p>"I am sorry, my niece. I should have gotten out of there quicker... but there was a lot of smoke, and people trying to kill me." he acknowledged, before glancing back up toward Sokka, who seemed to be looking at Sanyan's body, "I'm surprised you freed that boy."</p><p>"He was of use, wasn't he?" she asked, the Dragon of the West letting out a little huff; he thought perhaps she was trying to ingratiate herself with the Avatar and his allies, though, maybe she truly thought it was just because the boy had a knack for a weapon that was situationally useful.</p><p>"He was." he nodded, "You might be better at making friends than I thought."</p><p>"I'm not trying to be his friend." she retorted, "As long as he doesn't despise me and tolerates me teaching Aang, that's enough for me."</p><p>"Whatever you say." he smugly accepted her defence, making her point a finger at him.</p><p>"What are you trying to suggest, Uncle?"</p><p>"Nothing at all, Azula." he assured her, before his attention was drawn ahead of himself, where he could see General Zhiying, flanked by around a dozen guards.</p><p>"Y-your majesty!" he exclaimed, before falling to his knee, along with his guards, "It's an honour to have you assist my men." he acknowledged, the Fire Lord sighing.</p><p>"They were here for me." he corrected him, "This is my fault."</p><p>"How dare... how dare they try to take the life of their Fire Lord." the General commented, sounding offended by the very idea somebody might try to attack and kill him.</p><p>"I don't know how well they've been paid." he conceded, glancing back up to the hill, "But these people are stubborn."</p><p>"Do you have any idea who is responsible, your majesty?" the General asked, rising up to his feet, "We would be more than willing to assist you in taking down such a threat to the Fire Nation."</p><p>Iroh looked toward his niece, and wondered whether he ought to be honest; he would be making an irreversible decision if he did, and he knew that though he needed support to stop Ozai, by openly revealing his treachery, he would immediately set their nation into a civil war, with his brother's supporters pitted against everyone else who remained loyal to their Fire Lord.</p><p>"I won't stop you, Uncle." Azula admitted, bowing her head down to assure him that she would go with whatever decision he made, "You're the Fire Lord."</p><p>"No... we can't." he refused, knowing that his nephew was still in danger.</p><p>"What is it, your majesty?" Zhiying asked him, sounding quite concerned about what he might have to say, the Fire Lord shaking his head.</p><p>"It's nothing... uh, but did you have any tea in your stocks? Ginseng, preferably." he asked, his niece, rolling her eyes.</p><p>"Enough about the tea." she chided him, "He needs to see a physician." she explained to the general, "Where's the infirmary?"</p><p>"My guards and I will take you there at once." he assured her, before turning his eyes to the Fire Lord, "And I'll see what I can do about the tea situation, your majesty."</p><p>He pursed his lips upward, pleased by his assurance, before groaning, still feeling aches up his legs, and across his torso, which had been lashed by flames when the assassins attacked him; even though he was a far better firebender than any single one of them, together they had posed a serious threat to his life. He assumed that was his brother's intention in hiring so many assassins to come attack him.</p><p>"Thank you, General." he told him, before his niece continued to help him along, "I need some good tea and rest." he explained his situation, his niece sighing, looking at him with a concerned, on-edge face.</p><p>"I think you need a little more than that, Uncle."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Hidden In Plain Sight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Observant was one word that both her father and uncle would use to describe Azula, and they had good reason to do so; she found enjoyment out of observing and learning from the various situations she found herself in, something that was diversifying as she got older and took on more and more formal duties as a Princess of the Fire Nation. One thing she had been observing for quite some time was her brother's rather interesting behaviour; publicly, he seemed like a rather stoic, withdrawn young Prince, with little to say and not much to say of him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That did suit Azula well, given she would prefer the attention of the court and the Fire Nation public on herself rather than her elder brother; she wanted to be Fire Lord some day, and she could only become so by gaining a favourable public image and personal ties with the elite of her nation. She had met a few generals, ministers and industrialists who had come to the palace, usually introducing them to her uncle, who had, for quite some time, effectively been running the Fire Nation, at least in regards to domestic policies.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Zuko on the other hand, hadn't even seen a single war council, let alone done much formal duties in his official position, and that was despite the fact he was older than her, and clearly capable of doing the same trivial things she did. She assumed that her father had something to do with that, given he didn't think that Zuko was competent enough to represent their family, or more specifically, himself, in an official manner.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So, she wasn't surprised when she did a little snooping around and came to find out that her brother had been attending some meetings between her father and guests in the palace, as well as the meetings of the Fire Lord's cabinet of ministers. Of course, nobody actually knew Zuko was there, as he had taken it upon himself to disguise himself when attending, rather than to ask for their father's permission. Since he had access to the royal armoury, as a Prince, he was able to dress himself in a manner where he could fool others into thinking he was an Imperial Firebender; as a sixteen year old male, he was clearly tall and well-built enough to appear like any other adult male, as long as he altered his voice enough.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Azula's observations were now solid enough that she could ask her brother about his activities without a certain rebuke; she could tell him his schedule to his face, and there'd be no way for him to deny it. She wasn't trying to bully him, as he might assume, as she simply wanted to understand the situation better, and if possible, act to ensure it wouldn't harm herself, whether immediately, or in the longer term. Her brother was a cold and spiteful young man, the danger he posed to the weak peace in their household was only to increase when considering that her father was soon to become Crown Prince when Fire Lord Azulon inevitably passed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When she arrived at her brother's room, she wondered whether she ought to barge in, or perhaps, to lean into a conversation and reveal her knowledge. The former approach would be a little too harsh, and probably would just aggravate him, while the latter might make him more nervous. So, she decided to go with the latter, and hoped that he would be forthright. When she knocked on his door, there was an awkward silence for a few moments, but he did eventually respond.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Who is it?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Your sister." she bluntly declared her presence, and she could hear him huff, before he stepped toward the door; when he opened it up, she could already see the suspicion in his eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What do you want, Azula?" he asked her, trying to sound all cold and serious.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Oh, I just wanted to have a little chat." she played innocent, making him roll his eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah, a little chat." he skeptically repeated her words back to her, "Is this about Mai?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No." she assured him, "I'm not here to advise you on your personal life, Brother."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Good." he simply accepted her words as truth, before he stepped back, "Uh, I guess you can sit down, if you're going to be here long." he gestured to the table at the front of his room.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She shook her head, "No, this won't be long." she clarified, striding over toward his bed, leaning up against one of the tall bedposts. "What do you think of proposed plans to take Omashu?" she decided to ask him, knowing that that was the most recent and important policy discussion going on in the war chambers.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Why would I have an opinion on that?" he asked her in return, flatly denying he knew anything about it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Now, now, brother, I know you know things." she tried to play to his ego, "You're not an ill-informed Prince, are you?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm no fool." he stressed, before crossing his arms, "There's a little too much emphasis on surrounding the city." he simply gave his opinion, "What could be done with five thousand men and some siege engines is being done with twenty."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hmph." she mumbled, considering his opinion.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She did agree that there was a lot of men being set out for the siege, far more than was probably necessary; all they needed to do was find a way to cross the difficult terrain effectively, and then they would be able to take the city with ease, at least, as easily as they could beat the earthbenders defending the walls.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"So, what do you think should be done?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"War Minister Qin has more war-machines on the way. If he could be invited to some of these meetings to provide his insight on the technology that he will soon have ready to deploy, perhaps a more efficient siege plan could be drawn up. I am sure there's easier ways to take out a city than simply starving it out." he explained his thoughts on what ought to be done, the Princess nodding.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yes, I believe you're right, Brother." she nodded, his expression shifting to one of surprise.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Wait, really?" he asked her, Azula giving a resolute nod to assure him that she wasn't saying that in jest.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm not joking around, Zuko." she assured him, before raising a finger, "But, may I inquire... why haven't you brought these things up with Uncle?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Why?" he raised a brow, "Because he'd ask how I know about War Minister Qin's new technologies." he simply explained his reason, something she had already deduced; revealing his stealthy observations would perhaps aggravate their father, or even Fire Lord Azulon, given it was rather unseemly of a Prince to be going about to private meetings he wasn't invited to.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"And how is it that you know about them?" she asked, the Prince narrowing his eyes at her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I have my methods." he simply told her, not wanting to reveal himself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"That was a trick question, Zuzu." she warned him, before chuckling, "I already know you went to his meetings with our father."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Wh-what..." he gasped, before glancing around, as if he were afraid their father was about to enter the room, "Does he know?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I assume not." she guessed, though she couldn't be certain, "I just noticed you were putting on uniforms in the armoury, so I decided to investigate... and lo and behold, you're listening in on our father's meetings as a guard."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"And what does that mean to you, Azula?" he asked her, sounding suspicious of her intentions in bringing the issue up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Nothing really." she acknowledged, "I understand you require access to knowledge and the experience that Father has been unwilling to provide." she described his intentions as plainly as she could, "But, Brother, I must warn you, it would be dangerous to continue this for much longer. Father might find out, and he might get the wrong idea."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What kind of idea, Azula?" he asked her, though she was sure he knew the answer to that question.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I know you don't seek to undermine him." she acknowledged, "But he mightn't see it that way."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"So, what do you expect me to do, sit around while you get to enjoy all the privileges of being the heir without even being it?" he retorted, now more agitated; she held no desire to bring ill will between herself and her brother, knowing that it would simply be worse for them in the long term, though Zuko himself didn't make it easy with his conflictive attitude toward her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Perhaps you should just ask Uncle if you could go to more meetings." she suggested, "That's better than waiting for Father to find out you've been snooping around, and think you're actually spying on him for some incredulous plot."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I mean..." he began to respond, before turning his eyes away; he obviously agreed with her, because she had come up with a far more straightforward and harmless idea than him disguising himself to go to their father's meetings, "I can speak to Uncle."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Good." she simply nodded, before turning her heels, "Have a good day, Brother." she gave him a simple pleasantry before walking on out of his room.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"That's it?" he asked her, "You just came here to warn me like you're my-" he cut himself off, "Why did you tell me that, Azula?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I want a family that's not at each other's throats. That would just be unhelpful to the governance of the Fire Nation." she explained, "And when I know things, I seek to use my information to my advantage."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"What advantage do you get from me going to war meetings?" he asked her a hypothetical, the Princess chuckling as she raised a finger up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Well, nobody would speak about how useful War Minister Qin's inventions might be in destroying the last bastion of Earth Kingdom resistance." she reminded him of what he had told her only moments earlier, "You aren't useless, Brother." she simply explained what she knew to be true, which seemed to make him more confused, rather than less so.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Uh..." he mumbled, blankly staring at her for a few moments, probably trying to think of a response; perhaps a thanks for the advice she had given him, "Don't tell Father."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Did I say I was going to?" she retorted, the Prince tensing his fists as he stared her down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You... no, no you didn't." he accepted her innocence in that regard; her brother certainly thought the worst of her, though she knew she would just have to work with it for the time being.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Precisely." she snapped a finger at him, "Now, if you don't mind, I have some firebending sets to attend to." she excused herself, before pacing on down the hallway, leaving her brother standing there; he didn't say another word, and a few moments, closed the door of his bedroom.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Whether he'd take her advice, she couldn't be certain, but she hoped that he would do so instead of stubbornly continuing his stealthy tricks; she was sure that if he wasn't careful, they'd come to bite him in the butt some day.</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Sokka didn't like the Fire Nation, yet despite that, he certainly wouldn't wish upon anybody what he was looking at; a campsite in tatters, injured and unconscious men being dragged away from sites where the crazy assassin had sent his explosions. He wished things hadn't gone the way they had, despite how his captors had treated him; he was relieved, and a little surprised that the Princess was willing to have him freed to help her fight the assassin, and was more surprised when the Fire Lord himself intervened and killed the man himself. He knew nothing about the Fire Lord, though he would admit that his introduction only made him afraid of the man; not because he thought he was an malicious or cold individual, but because he was ready and capable of fighting with such fury that it made the Princess he faced on Kyoshi Island seem relaxed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was made nervous, however, by all the soldiers looking at him, and he didn't know how to feel; part of him wanted to try and help them, but another part was screaming at him that he would be a traitor to his people to even consider such a thing. He had helped Azula fight the assassins, though that was less because he actually wanted to help her personally and more so having to do with the fact they almost killed him a week prior. His thoughts were all over the place, wondering if Aang and Katara were still going to come and rescue him, and if that was a good idea at all; the soldiers were probably all on edge, and he didn't want to see another fight happen, especially one where his sister might end up getting hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't know exactly where the Princess and her uncle were, but he guessed they were at the tent he had been taken to earlier to get his weapons, that being the general's tent. He wondered whether he ought to try and escape, but decided that cooperating might be better in the long-term, given that if Azula wasn't lying, he would be going back to the others soon enough. He didn't want to trust her, but he knew his options were rather limited when he was surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers. So, with no other real options, he made his way through the encampment, toward the large general's tent. When he arrived, he noted a few men standing outside, who glanced toward him with slight confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh... is the Princess or the Fire Lord around here?" he asked, the guards glancing amongst themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aren't you their prisoner?" one of them asked, the Water Tribe teen cringing, before he nodded, knowing that was his situation, whether he liked it or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-yeah... I am." he confirmed, before pointing toward the tent, "Are they in there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, they're at the infirmary." one of them explained, the Water Tribe teen narrowing his eyes, realising that made a lot of sense, given the burns both the Princess and the Fire Lord had received.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, okay." he nodded, before glancing toward the tank-train, which was still smouldering after the explosion that had rocked it, blowing up a good portion of the mid-section of the vehicle, "Where am I going to sleep now?" he mumbled to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his head around, before realising he didn't actually know where the infirmary was, "Where's the infirmary?" he asked the guards, one of which stepped forward, before he gestured off to Sokka's left, pointing out a few tents off in the distance that were notably longer and wider than the other ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There." he clarified, "Don't run off, or somebody is going to drag you back in chains." he warned the Water Tribesman, who nodded, understanding that already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I got that." he assured him, before he began to stride off toward the infirmary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walked on toward it, he saw a few soldiers moving by, some armed, while others were presumably firebenders, heading in the direction of the hillslope; he assumed they were going to deal with the remaining assassins, who he guessed were now captives of the Fire Nation Army. He didn't really care for their fates, given they had come out of their way to go kill them. He assumed that the men who had attacked them were intent on hunting down the Fire Lord, though he had no idea why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka continued to walk along, and hunched his shoulders as he tried to avoid the suspicious glares he received from the Fire Nation soldiers; he could see the infirmary ahead of him, and noted how many people were standing outside of it, bandages covering their arms and legs, along with crutches for some who must have hurt or even broken their legs. He realised that he'd gotten off lightly, though that was because he hadn't been that involved in the fighting, only showing up at the last minute to assist Azula and Iroh kill the most dangerous assassin. There were some guards by the entrance of the tent, and they eyed him suspiciously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you the Princess's prisoner?" one of them asked, the Water Tribesman nodding, and they moved out of the way, letting him inside of the tent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There had to be dozens of men all lying before him, laid out on beds, all of them injured, and most of them unconscious; he could see a few guards standing around a bed, and assumed that was where the Fire Lord would be. As he approached the bed, the guards turned around to face him, and a moment later, somebody turned around; he hadn't recognised her out of her armour, but it was the Princess, sitting beside her uncle. She didn't look like she was in the best of moods, nor did she seem to approve of his presence, but the Fire Lord himself rose up slightly from his bed, and gestured for him to approach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sokka." he spoke his name, "Are you alright?" he asked him, the Water Tribesman nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." he assured him, before glancing at the bandages the Fire Lord had over his arms, covering the burns he must have received when the tank-train was destroyed, "Um... are you okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"As good as I can be." he admitted, before gesturing to a table beside him, "Would you like some tea?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka blankly looked at him, before turning his eyes to the Princess, who seemed annoyed by his presence, "Uh, I guess I could have some." he accepted his offer, the Fire Lord picking up the teapot on the table beside him, before he poured the hot liquid into a ceramic cup, which he gave to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smelled it, and made a small smile, thinking it was probably the best thing he'd consumed all day; there were only a few dry rations that he was offered while he had been chained up, so he appreciated the cup of fresh tea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is nice." he admitted, the Fire Lord nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That it is." he agreed, "It helps me calm down... after things like this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you hurt?" he turned to the Princess, who shrugged her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The physicians say I'm concussed." she simply responded, "So, I can't sleep."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not that we have any beds to go to." Iroh admitted, before sighing, "This does set us back a bit."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It does." Azula agreed with him, before turning her eyes back to the Water Tribesman, "You'll be back with the other two soon enough." she clarified, "We just have to wait."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You shouldn't stay here for too long." the Fire Lord spoke up, before he glanced over toward the guards that were surrounding his bed, "Could I have a little privacy?" he asked them, "I just want to speak with my niece."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nodded, and strode away from the Fire Lord's bed, taking up positions around the entrances into the infirmary, to assure that he was protected; Sokka sipped on his teacup, before he realised that he might have to leave as well, if they were about to have a private conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, do I have to go?" he asked Iroh, who shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, this involves you." he acknowledged, "You will be going with my niece to find the Avatar."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So she can teach him firebending." he recalled, before his eyes widened, realising that was what he wanted her to do, "What do you want with Aang?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"For him to do what he was born to do. He's the Avatar. He is meant to protect the balance between the nations, and uphold peace." he explained it rather simply, before turning his eyes to the Princess, "My niece ought to teach him and help him... because I believe it is her destiny."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Destiny's made up, Uncle." she retorted, crossing her arms, "I don't need to do it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, you don't, but you should. You are the heir of Roku, and only you and your brother can redeem the Fire Nation." he explained rather bluntly, the Princess blinking a few times as she stared at him with a blank face, seeming unsure how to respond; Sokka was more confused, having heard about Avatar Roku, but had no idea about what they were talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry... the heir of Avatar Roku?" he asked, "What do you mean?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He is her great grandfather." he clarified, "That is why she is a prodigy, and why she must help Aang. It is Sozin's fault Avatar Roku died." he explained, the Water Tribe warrior narrowing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait..." he mumbled, recalling that Aang must have been frozen just before the war started, "So, is that why the Fire Nation attacked the Air Temples?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes." Iroh confirmed, "My grandfather had gotten rid of the Avatar already, and he knew that he had been reincarnated into the Air Nomads. Your friend Aang, he is the only one who could have stopped the Fire Nation."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're the Fire Lord." he acknowledged, looking at him with a suspicious glare, "How can you want Aang's help? Don't you want to continue your war?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." he shook his head, "The war is over." he simply put it, "Now that I am the Fire Lord, I can set the world on the right path, but I need Aang's help to do it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Huh." he mumbled, surprised that the Fire Lord held such an opinion; he thought that the man leading the nation that had conquered the world would be more inclined to continue to the war, and the Fire Nation's domination of the world, "I guess... that's good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"In your opinion." Azula retorted, suggesting that she wasn't of the same persuasion as her uncle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then what do you want?" he asked the Princess, who crossed her arms, snidely looking his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What I want doesn't matter. The Fire Lord is the one who decides where to lead our country, not me." she retorted, Sokka blinking a few times as he wondered why she just flat out refused to give her opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I... uh, get that, but you must have an opinion." he noted, "So, what is it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why do you care?" she questioned in return, not sounding very pleased about where he was taking the conversation; Sokka knew he could shut up, but decided that he wanted to know, given what Iroh wanted her to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, if you are going to teach Aang firebending, I want to know what you think about the Avatar, and what he should be doing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am not going to decide what the Avatar does. That is for Aang to decide." she argued, pointing a finger toward him, "I will do what is best for my nation."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmph... you people are weird." he mumbled, "The Fire Nation invades the world, and then the Fire Lord ends up being against it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you have to understand war to judge it, and I understand it well." the Fire Lord explained himself, "Azula, you've learnt a bit in your time looking for the Avatar. Do you think we should continue fighting the other nations?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She blankly looked at him, as if the question was too absurd to even ask; Sokka leaned forward slightly, wondering if she actually did have an answer, "Do you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pointed a finger toward him, sparking a blue flame on the end of it, "You, shut up." she demanded, before turning her gaze toward her uncle, "What happened to the Air Nomads was absurd, and unnecessary." she admitted, "The invasion of the Earth Kingdom... well, it has made our country more prosperous."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And caused the deaths of millions." Iroh acknowledged, "People have lost loved ones, livelihoods and themselves in this war."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-yeah." Sokka nodded, agreeing with his point, as he personally understood what he meant; he realised that his expression suggested that he had lost people as well, and he didn't feel comfortable asking about it, "You can't agree to that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I..." she mumbled, her eyes darting between the two of them, before she crossed her arms, "I don't need to answer your stupid questions." she decided, "It's not like I can do anything about it. The war is done, you said it yourself." she reminded her uncle, who glanced toward Sokka, seeming a little saddened and frustrated by her response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did your question get answered, Sokka?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I see she doesn't want to answer it." he simply concluded, "It's bad." he acknowledged, "Nobody likes confronting this kind of stuff... I sure don't, even if I spent all my time preparing to fight, if that was what it came to." he acknowledged, remembering what it had been like to train those little kids to face the Fire Nation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In hindsight, it seemed scary to just consider the fact children needed to be given that training, and he could only hope that Aang might be able to make sure the war ended, and that those little boys wouldn't grow up with the same worries he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry if he has made you uncomfortable, Azula." Iroh addressed his niece with a sympathetic face, "These kinds of questions are the ones we will have to deal with in the coming months and years... the war is coming to a close, and I will make sure we are not remembered as those who disregarded the suffering our nation has brought upon the innocents of the world." he acknowledged, the Princess turning her gaze toward him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, are you going to come with me, or am I going to have to find Aang myself?" she asked him bluntly, the Fire Lord letting out a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It would be better if I stayed here and gathered my strength... both personally and in support. I know we will need it when the time comes. Until we can ensure your brother's safety, and the Avatar is safe from your father's grasp, we cannot make our moves." he admitted, the Princess nodding; Sokka was a little confused as to what exactly was going on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, let me get this straight, you want to-" he began, before the Princess raised a hand to shush him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." she warned him, "We aren't going to speak about this. The Fire Lord's life is still in danger, even if those assassins are defeated. There is a plot rooted in our nation's leadership, and I do not know who we can trust."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Neither do, I, Azula." he agreed with her, "But hopefully, the Order of the White Lotus will provide the intelligence we require to choose our allies."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So... uh, I'm going to go with her to find Aang." Sokka realised, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have a problem with that, or will I have to chain you up again?" she questioned, the Water Tribesman shaking his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"N-no... I'll cooperate." he assured her, before turning his gaze to the Fire Lord, "Is there anything you want me to tell Aang, seeing that you're the Fire Lord and all?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To remain cautious. There are many people in the Fire Nation who want to see him dead or in chains." he acknowledged, "But that's why my niece will be going to assist you in keeping him safe. That's what you want, I assume."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is." he nodded, before cringing, "They're probably really worried about me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They might be." he conceded, before turning his eyes to Azula, "You both should leave as soon as you can."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We will sleep, and at first light, we will leave on whatever steeds we can muster." she decided, the Water Tribe teen raising a hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just, uh, one question." he requested, the Princess gesturing for him to speak, "Where do I sleep?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Find a blanket and sleep." she simply told him, the Water Tribesman face-palming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your thingy got blown up. Where do I find a blanket?" he bluntly asked her, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How would I know?" she retorted, the Fire Lord sighing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please... be a little considerate, Azula. He did help us defeat him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Urgh." she rolled her eyes, rising up to her feet; she turned around, and picked up what had to be the upper layer of her outfit, which was a kind of light armour that covered her upper torso, before putting it back on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once she turned back around, she gestured toward the entrance of the tent, "Follow me, or you'll be sleeping on the cold ground." she demanded, the Water Tribe teen making a small smile, appreciative that she was actually going to help him, even if it was essentially at the prodding of her uncle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took back whatever bad thoughts or images he had of the man, the Fire Lord was saving him from an even sorer back and sleep deprivation; he turned to face Iroh, and smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh... thanks." he acknowledged his efforts, before turning to the Princess, "You too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, obviously not caring for his thanks, and continued to pace on out of the tent, "I don't care." she retorted, making the Water Tribesman chuckle; even though it wasn't much better than being a prisoner of the Fire Nation, it was better to cooperate with an apathetic and agitated Princess than with bigoted and spiteful Fire Nation soldiers who held no issue with him being chained to a post all day.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Prince Zuko really hoped the First Mate wasn't about to kick them off of the ship; he knew that Mai had given a few sailors quite the beating when they harassed her the night prior, and that they had lodged some serious complaints with the First Mate and the Captain. So, they were waiting by the First Mate's office, knowing they were about to start working on loading the ship full of goods from a port they had just reached. They weren't that close to Shu Jing yet, but he knew that getting off the ship might give them a chance to gather some information about what exactly was going on, especially with his uncle, who they hadn't heard about for over a week, since before the assassination attempt in the capital.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He truly hoped his uncle was alright, knowing that if he was in danger, he mightn't be able to protect himself; he imagined Iroh out in the Earth Kingdom wilderness all alone, and that by itself made any grievances he had about working as a cleaner on a ship seem trivial in comparison. Mai seemed more annoyed than he was, though that was probably because she thought herself completely justified in what she had done to the sailors. He was more neutral on the matter, though he personally just wanted to avoid trouble; trouble was what would get them attention, and attention, if from the wrong people, would get them killed. His father's conspirators could be anywhere, and if his father was cautious enough, he would have already sent out warnings about Zuko being alive and a threat to his plans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If I have to stand here any longer, I'm just going to walk off the boat and not come back." she warned him, the Prince raising a hand, thinking that wasn't the best idea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm annoyed by his tardiness as much as you are, but that's a bad idea." he warned her, "We just need to keep on this ship until we get close to Shu Jing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Master Piandao better have some decent accommodation." she warned him, "I cannot deal with another week of lying on hard wood and crappy mattresses."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Piandao lives in a manor house. I am sure we will be fine." he assured Mai, before his attention was drawn by the door opening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, you're here." the First Mate addressed them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We've been waiting for ten minutes. We're meant to be working on the deck, but instead we're just wasting our time here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry... there were a few things that needed to be double checked on the books. We thought we were going to run out of space in the brig, but I think we can work it out." he explained his reason for being so tardy, before raising a hand, "I know you're not here to talk about the logistics of fitting cargo into this ship. You're here because you stabbed some sailors."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did." she confirmed, "Do you know what they were telling me to do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I believe they wanted the mess hall cleaned up." Jishang recalled, "But... I don't think that's all that happened."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They kept prodding me, and made suggestive comments." she explained, before raising a finger, "I warned them, and they did not heed my warning. When one of them tried to touch me, I cut him, and then when the rest attacked me, I fought them off and beat them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Unruly behaviour is quite common amongst sailors." the First Mate admitted, "I will have to give you a reprimanding, but... I will not be too harsh. They were obviously going to attack you, if their own stories are true." he acknowledged, "They did not provide a strong defence on their own behalf."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what?" Zuko raised a brow, unsure exactly what he was going to do, "What does she need to do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to have her duties moved to cleaning dishes in the morning, when there are no drunk sailors." he explained rather simply, the Prince blinking a few times, surprised that his reprimanding wasn't really that harsh, and was more just a solution to avoid a future fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, that's... kind of you." he acknowledged, surprised by the man's attitude; he expected something a lot harsher, though perhaps, he was just used to dealing with his father's authority, and he was perhaps the harshest when it came to the most trivial of mistakes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You will have to do more work, and I would ask you don't bring a knife with you to the kitchen. Stabbing your fellow crewmates will not get you any love on this ship."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't care about them liking me." she retorted, crossing her arms as she snidely raised her chin, "I won't do it again if they don't harass me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hishu, please." Zuko addressed her, obviously wanting her to just go along with what he was saying, "Just don't bring the sai along. You can beat them without it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can." she confirmed, before nodding, "Fine, I won't take my knives with me." she accepted his request, "Can we go get to work now?" she asked Jishang, who nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yes, you can." he confirmed, the two of them immediately taking their leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They paced on down the hallway, heading back to the doorway that led out onto the deck, where they'd need to go to help with the moving of goods onto the ship; where possible, it seemed that they preferred to use labour rather than cranes, given it was a fair bit quicker to move smaller boxes and bags around that way, and thus, make it easier for them to get everything onboard. When they got to the door, Zuko pushed it open, and was forced to raise his hand up from the glare of the morning sun shining down upon the deck. He glanced over his left, and could see sailors picking up crates and bags, taking them up the planks between the ship and the dock beside it, while a crane dealt with the larger crates, placing them in the large opening in the hull.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Prince paced up over to the nearest plank, and paced on down it, walking around the sailors going the opposite direction, bringing up crates and bags of goods. When he got down onto the dock, he glanced around, deciding which crate to pick up; he leaned over, and grabbed one of them, before eyeing around, checking where the port supervisors were; if anybody was going to have anything to say in terms of news, it would be them. He tilted his head toward them, getting Mai's attention; she nodded, and understood they needed to get closer when they came back around to get some more goods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He began to climb up the plank once, more now with a crate of what felt like bottles of some kind of oil, given how he felt the weight slosh around as he took each step up the plank. When he reached the deck of the ship again, he made his way down into the hull of the ship, taking the stairs down into the holding area, where he could see about a dozen men, all putting crates and bags down in place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of them turned around and noted Zuko's arrival, and pointed to the ground in front of him, "Just put the crate down there. We'll find a place for it." he explained, the Prince giving a resolute nod before he heeded his request, putting the crate down in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arms hurt a little from the weight, though now he was far stronger than he had been earlier in the week, where he had struggled to walk without it hurting his legs and back. He knew, however, that his pain was a minor distraction from the task at head; he needed to do his job, so he kept his place on the ship, and to gather any information he could from the outside world. As he made his way back to the stairs, he walked past Mai, who pointed her finger to the men who were just about to walk about the stairs; he realised she wanted him to listen to their conversation, and he drew closer to them, enough so that he could clearly hear what they were talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know, they might be letting us go out to the taverns and stuff if we're quick enough." one of the sailors told the other, who beamed at the suggestion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, really?! Great." he grinned, "I can finally get some nice food, and maybe a drink. You wanna go get some?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We still need to do our maintenance work, Yong." the other warned him, "Do you think Jishang's going to be happy if the engine isn't in tip-top condition when we set off later?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, he'll give us even grimier work to do." he conceded, "Maybe just one or two drinks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko narrowed his eyes, a little frustrated they were talking about trivial stuff, instead of news, though he hoped they might as they moved to go down the plank; he kept after them, and Yong pointed toward some crates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's get those. I'm pretty sure they're just crates of clothes. Really light."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, good idea." his fellow sailor nodded in approval, obviously wanting to find a way to be lazy without avoiding carrying crates and bags onboard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko shook his head, knowing that as they went off to pick up those crates, their conversation wasn't going to help him; he paced off in the direction of the port supervisors, deciding to go pick up a crate nearby, and hope they had something interesting to say. Asking about things like whether they knew about the Fire Lord's condition would be a little too blunt, and perhaps come off as suspicious. When he neared them, he picked up whatever they were talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, so... you think we'll be seeing more navy ships any time soon?" one of them asked the other, who chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, well, there's a lot of men needed to take that city in the Earth Kingdom... uh, what's it called? Ubashu?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Omashu." the other supervisor corrected him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>'Yeah, Omashu. There's gotta be more ships coming to send food their way. There's a few armies there. Nothing like Ba Sing Se, but there's a lot of mouths to feed." he explained, Zuko raising a brow; that was where his uncle was going, or at least, intending to, before he had gone missing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picked up a crate quickly enough, so he didn't get their attention, and turned back around, wondering what might be going on in Omashu, and what that might have to do with his uncle; he guessed that news would come in if anything serious happened there, but he doubted anything was going to happen yet. His Uncle had been rather constrained in the orders he'd been giving out in surrounding and starving out the city; eventually, it would have to fall to the Fire Nation's armies, but could take months if they had enough food to ration out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he reached Mai, who was about to go walk over to the supervisors and pick up a crate herself, he simply whispered to her as he strode by, "They're talking about Omashu."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, and went on her way; he hoped that she found something else, as it might give them a better idea what was going on with his uncle, or even Azula, who according to the last proper conversation he and his father had, was going to go stop the assassins and find Iroh. If anything new was heard about either of them, it would be good news, even if the news itself wasn't positive; he just needed to know, so he could plot out his next moves. He and Mai weren't just going to holiday at Piandao's manor until Iroh just showed back up, and challenged Ozai for the throne; they would go find his uncle, and Zuko would o everything he could to make sure his father was defeated, and the horrific plans he had could never become reality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Making his way back up onto the plank, he checked around for other sailors who might be conversing; he didn't see anyone, and with nothing else to do, he paced on down the staircase, back down into the hull of the ship, where he could see that the men were still putting all the crates into position. He placed the crate down on the ground, nearby them, and one gave him a thumbs up, before the Prince moved back to the staircase; he paced on up the stairs, and noticed that as Mai was coming toward him, she had a slight frown on her face. He knew for certain that meant she had learned something, so he waited by the top of the stairs for her; when she arrived, she let out a frustrated sigh, and looked him in the eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I found something... important." she put it simply, tilting her head toward the superstructure, suggesting for them to move to the side so they weren't overheard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" he asked, trying to hold back his restlessness; he had been anticipating some kind of news, and it seemed that finally he would hear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's us." she clarified, with a completely straight face; she wasn't one for jokes, so he understood what he meant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So that vacation, it went somewhere, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're dead." she bluntly admitted, "Everyone thinks we died in a shipwreck just south of Ember Island, three days ago."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wh-what?" he mumbled, before glancing around, making sure nobody was listening, "So, this is Ozai's move." he concluded, the stoic girl giving a resolute nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It has to be." she agreed, "What should we do now?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hope that Ty Lee gets our letter before she finds out about us 'dying'." he acknowledged, "I'd prefer if a civil war wasn't unintentionally started by a girl who's just worried about her best friend."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, do we stay the course?" she asked, "We could continue sailing on... maybe try and get to Ty Lee, or your sister."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We can't be sure. I'm guessing my father's backers are looking for us right now." he admitted, "We should go to Shu Jing. I know we'll be safer there than getting off in some big colonial city." he suggested, Mai nodding to clarify her comprehension, before she glanced toward the staircase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think you're right." she admitted, "We can't do anything stupid."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's why I'm glad you're here." he admitted with a smile; he didn't just like Mai, he trusted her to be a better arbiter than himself when it came to the dangers he faced- he already knew he was reckless, and he had to compensate for that with somebody who was cool-headed and ready to plan a way out of their situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn't seem to agree with him, and sighed, "Are you forgetting I was the one who got into a fight?" I am not as good a role model as you might think I am." she warned him, before pacing over to the stairs, "Get back to work, Kamen."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, ma'am." he assured her, the stoic girl pursing her lips upward at his jest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's my lady." she corrected him, "At least pretend to be a commoner correctly." she chided him, before she made her way down the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm just not that good at acting." he mumbled to himself, knowing that there was one kind of act he was good at; the calm, silent and dead-serious kind of person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though Zuko might want to say that he was that person already, but his volatile nature meant that was a little bit of wishful thinking on his behalf. He was not the Dark Water Spirit, at least not really, but just a Prince with a knack for swords; he'd need to figure out how to become more like Mai in that regard. She wasn't really a mean person, but she could sure intimidate people with well-timed comments and her skill with knives; if he could be half as intimidating as she was without a mask, then he wouldn't even need to worry about mastering firebending- he could just scare his opponents away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wouldn't work for his father, however, and he knew that sooner or later, he'd have to learn what Master Longchi didn't think he was ready for; he mightn't have been ready yet, despite what happened to him, but Zuko didn't care. He'd need to master more advanced techniques if he wanted any hope of defeating Ozai if it came to that; once he could generate lightning, he would only have to fast enough, and then, victory would be his, no matter how feeble his father might have thought him to be.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The bright side of the so-called Sanyan being dead was that Azula no longer felt that dread in her gut whenever she stood outside, wondering if the assassins were tailing her; though she was unsure if all of the assassins had been caught, she was sure that if it came around to it, she could fight them. However, to her frustrations, she was not driving back to port in her tank-train, but rather, riding on mongoose lizards; the creatures weren't terrible to ride, and they were rather agile and good at moving over obstacles, but given she was going along a rather unremarkable road, and didn't expect to be fighting anyone, that didn't give her any advantages.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was more annoying was that she had been forced to bring along the Avatar's Water Tribe friend, the annoying yet somewhat competent Sokka; he was rather impolite, and didn't seem to care for her rank or the fact he had been effectively her prisoner. He didn't seem to trust her much either, and that feeling was mutual; she didn't know what he'd go back and say about her to the Avatar and that other girl they were travelling with, but she didn't have the highest hopes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her guards kept to themselves, and were forced clearly on reaching their destination, that being the port where she had left her Royal Barge, though she was intent on getting Sokka back to his friends, so they wouldn't think she was just keeping him prisoner to try and lure them out. She didn't really care for him in the slightest, and knew that the Avatar, if she wanted a prisoner, would be far more useful. He had asked her a couple times about getting to Aang and Katara, the latter she assumed to be the name of the girl they were travelling with; she assumed that was his sister, or at least somebody he knew well, given they were travelling together with the Avatar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why is the food so spicy?" he asked her, another one of his stupid, unnecessary questions, "I mean, it doesn't even taste that good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And why do you eat... seals, or whatever it is your people are forced to subsist upon?" she asked in return, not actually wanting an answer, but to simply offend him, and prod him into shutting up so she could continue riding in peace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because there's a lot of them, and they don't taste bad. You can use their blubber for fires and pelts for clothes." he explained, before narrowing his eyes, "You don't really care, do you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not in the slightest." she confirmed, turning her gaze back ahead of her, "Am I going to have to listen to these stupid questions all day, or will I have to have my guards gag you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, you can't do that, I'm not your prisoner anymore." he argued, the Princess rolling her eyes, deciding to take another approach to the issue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine, you're my guest. Do you think it's polite as a guest to continue to ask your host unnecessary and pointless questions, when you could just stay quiet and appreciate the fact you're not in chains?" she asked him, the Water Tribe teen looking at her blankly for a few moments, before scrunching his lips up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I mean you did feed me, and gave me something to sleep on." he acknowledged, "Okay... fair enough." he accepted her proposition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Brilliant." she smirked, "Now shut up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her head forward, and just glanced off into the distance, eyeing the landscape that lay before her; it was pretty enough that she could just glance at it and let her mind wander for a bit, not having anything better to do, and certainly not wanting to talk about trivial things with the Water Tribesman. She didn't know why her uncle wanted her to be friends with him, but she guessed it might have had to do with the fact she was going to teach Aang firebending, or at the very least, she was going to persuade him to let her teach him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Achieving that would be a little easier with a foot in the door, so she could see why her uncle might think it tact to strike up some kind of camaraderie with Sokka; she, however, didn't really care for doing that, given she had already achieved what she would call camaraderie by fighting the assassins together, freeing him from his binds, and killing Sanyan, who she recalled had tried to kill him and his friends just the same as he had her. So, Azula concluded that befriending him was not necessary; he probably respected her enough that whatever goodwill could have been achieved she already had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay... I've got a better idea." he spoke up, after what must have only been a minute's silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Enlighten me." she sarcastically quipped at his words, Sokka frowning for a moment before he raised a finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You obviously don't want to hear about random things, or want me to ask you random questions, so I guess I could just talk about something you'd like to talk about."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And what would that be?" she asked him, now a little curious as to what he wanted to discuss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you've been chasing down Aang, so I guess you'd like to hear about what we're going to do." he suggested, "Or, what we've already done."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I already interrogated Aang on my ship." she reminded him, "I doubt you have anything of substance to tell me that I don't already know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well..." he mumbled, glancing off into the distance as he thought of something to say, "Aang's really childish." he acknowledged, the Princess scoffing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I already know that." she retorted, remembering his behaviour, and how despite trying to act serious, he was still just a twelve year old boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, no, I don't think he would have told you about his sightseeing tour." he clarified, making her narrow her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sightseeing tour?" she asked, "What kind of tour?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"To see all these weird creatures and ride them. Giant koi fish, hog monkeys, hopping llamas." he listed some creatures off, "That's what he was concerned about when he first got freed from the ice. Going to have fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, he obviously didn't know anything about the war." she deduced, "He probably just thought he was going to go back to the Southern Air Temple."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, we did." he confirmed, his expression becoming more solemn, "That place... urgh. It was terrible. And we didn't tell him, until... well, he found out." he explained, sounding rather regretful about his actions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, he had no idea his people had been wiped out." she concluded, "And telling him would have been a little dangerous." she added, "Well, there's nothing anyone could have done about that. It happened a hundred years ago."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wish there was a better way he could have understood." he admitted, "He ended up walking in and seeing the skeleton of his mentor... this guy who was pretty much his father." he explained, "It must have been terrible."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula turned her eyes away, recalling how she felt when she thought Iroh had been killed; that was the kind of emotional turmoil that could activate the Avatar State, and she understood why. She then realised that despite her feelings of anger and fear over her uncle, she was following her uncle's command, now set to help him defeat her father. She didn't know how they'd confront him, but she had a feeling that one of them wouldn't make it out alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know that feeling." she admitted, "Or... something close to it." she clarified, before tightening her grip on the reins, knowing she should just shut up; she couldn't talk to who was for all intents and purposes a complete stranger about her inner thoughts when she barely discussed them with anyone to begin with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh... okay." he nodded, before turning his gaze away, "Would that have anything to do with your uncle?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're not talking about this." she retorted, "So, shut up, or talk about something else."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grimaced, before forcing out a nod; even if he wanted to delve into the secrets she was unwilling to tell, he obviously understood that it was a touchy subject, "Yep, got it." he nervously complied with her request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know where your stupid friends are, or am I going to have to go all the way to the North Pole to find them?" she asked, the Water Tribesman cringing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh... I don't know, honestly. I thought they might have followed me, but, you never know where they might be." he acknowledged, the Princess sighing with frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's just brilliant." she sarcastically quipped in return, "We're still at least three days from reaching the port, and that's if we ride all day." she added, raising a hand to her forehead, "This couldn't get much worse."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You could have to walk." he suggested a worse scenario, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And if you don't stop it with the questions and commentary, you'll have to walk." she warned Sokka, who raised his hands up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, okay, got it." he assured her, the Princess turning her gaze ahead, not wanting to continue their conversation; she, for one, didn't think discussing her inner thoughts with a stranger was a good idea, and he was an annoying stranger at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She kept her focus ahead of her, eyeing the winding road as it led them down into a valley, which was covered in woodland and fields, where she could see some pig-cows browsing; she assumed they were drawing closer to a village, though she was unsure how far away it was. There wasn't any smokestacks, given the time of the day, where nobody was cooking, and neither did they require heating. The day was actually quite fine, with a little cloud voer keeping out the sun's glare while they rode along, the breeze pushing toward her lightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She noted in the distance something she had grown to recognise as she travelled on her Royal Barge; it was a messenger hawk, flying right in their direction, and it made her furrow a brow. They had taken the messenger hawk coop with them, placing it on the back of one of the mongoose-lizards they brought with them, given, like on all her operations, she needed it to be able to receive any useful intelligence. However, the message was coming from the west, meaning it was most likely from either her ship, or the homeland; it could have been a report of the Avatar being spotted, which would certainly help her, though she was uncertain if that's really what she would be messaged about. For all she knew, it could have been a letter from her father, detailing whatever he wanted her to do, given she had lost the Avatar, and she wouldn't be surprised if news had already reached him. As the hawk approached the coop, the guard riding said mongoose lizard came to a halt, and Azula pulled on the reins of her own; she turned it around and moved to approach the coop, where she could see the guard had retrieved the letter, and had checked its stamps and bindings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where's the message from?" she asked, the guard handing it to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's unmarked. Maybe it's just from the ship." he suggested, Azula taking the rolled up message, untying the pieces of fabric tha bound it together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her mongoose lizard around, and unfurled the letter out, holding it in her left hand so she could direct her steed with the right; her eyes widened when she scanned to the bottom of the letter, and realised that who was the sender, before even reading it's contents: Ty Lee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, that's a surprise." she mumbled to herself, recalling that she was intending to go find her friend, so she could seek out her assistance with protecting her uncle; that didn't seem as important a reason, given she was now travelling with just her guards, and her uncle's assassin's had been all but defeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned her eyes up to the top of the latter, and began to read it out in her head, "Azula, I hope you're alright. I've missed you, and really everyone, even my sisters, mother and father too. The circus has been fun, though I don't think you should have tried it. Acrobatics is hard, and they keep saying I'm too eager. Well, I disagree, because I know it won't kill me. I do miss it when it was just us girls. I don't know how Mai's been. Your brother Zuko too. I've been wanting to see you for a while, and I heard you're searching for the Avatar now. That sounds like it would be interesting." she read out the first portion of the letter, finding its structure rather confusing; it was written like Ty Lee had just rambled out onto a piece of paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's the letter?" Sokka asked the Princess, who raised a hand to signal him to shut up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She continued to read along to the next section, "I know you're busy, but I'd like you to come to the circus. I'm sure you don't like being alone too. I hope so. So, if you're in the area maybe you could come and see me." she read off the rest of the letter, after which came her friend's name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That was a weird letter." she admitted; her friend was usually a lot more straight to the point when she wrote things; she couldn't expect her to waste ink on writing such a long letter when she could have simply said it all in a lot less words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What kind of weird?" the Water Tribesman asked another question; she sighed, knowing that she couldn't just be overthinking it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My friend Ty Lee has just sent me a letter. It's unnecessarily long and winded. She's not usually the kind of person to write so much. She just wants me to come to the circus she's been working at. I think it's somewhere in the Fire Nation colonies." she explained, Sokka narrowing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmph." he mumbled, crossing his arms as he considered what she had said, "It's a letter." he stated the fact, "But are you sure you were reading it the right way?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" she questioned, "Are you saying she's trying to tell me something else?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A hidden meaning." he clarified himself, "I mean, all your letters must get looked at by the people on your ship. That's how it got here, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes." she confirmed, realising the Water Tribesman was rather good at deducing things, "So, what, are you saying she's trying to hide a message from peering eyes. That doesn't sound very much like Ty Lee."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I dunno." he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know your friend. Maybe she's just really excited and wrote way too many words."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She narrowed her eyes at the letter once more, scanning over the words; there didn't seem to be much of a pattern. There were just a bunch of lines, of varying lengths, and she was unsure, if there was, how a secret message might be encoded in the letter; deciding she couldn't figure it out, she reached out toward the Water Tribesman, offering him the letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You want me to look?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, you're not an idiot. If you think there's a message, find it." she suggested, the Water Tribesman taking the document into his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well... let's see... every second word? Nope." he decided, before scanning down it, "Maybe every third... Azula, you're, missed, everyone... no that doesn't sound right." he mumbled to himself, "What about every first word. Azula, I've, the, acrobatics, I'm... no, maybe the final word." he proposed another solution, "Alright, too, it, eager, me, girls, been... nope." he sighed, raising a hand to his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, there's nothing." she decided, the Water Tribesman narrowing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm stubborn. There's still more solutions." he decided, before scanning his finger along the letter, "Second word?" he mumbled, before dragging his finger down, before he shook his head, "Second last word." he decided, before running his finger along; a moment later his eyes widened, and he gasped, "Shit."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What? Sokka, what is it?" she demanded to know, the Water Tribesman handing her the letter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Read out the second last word of each line." he suggested, the Princess tracing her finger to the first line.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're... father... tried... to... kill... us!" the volume of her voice rose as she began to read, raising a hand to her mouth; she didn't know what to say, but she realised that Sokka had read it all, and that meant he knew what was going on now- she and Iroh had tried to keep things as under wraps as possible, as to avoid sparking a civil war, but it seemed that was going to get a whole lot harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"There's more." he pointed to the letter, and she continued to read along, "Mai... Zuko." she read their names out, and realised that they were the true writers of the letter; he wouldn't put it past Mai to come up with something so dastardly, "Avatar... be... the... alone... hope... see... Ty Lee."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shit." she mumbled, not having anything else to say on the matter; Mai and Zuko had obviously survived some kind of assassination attempt, and seeing who her father had sent after Iroh, she imagined it wouldn't have been very pretty, "This isn't good." she bluntly acknowledged, before her eyes widened, "If Zuko's not... well, that's it then." she decided, at that instance, that she would send a letter back to her uncle; she turned her attention to her guards, who were all looking her way after hearing the contents of the hidden message, "You never heard that. This letter is just a friendly request from Ty Lee, got it?" she requested, the men all nodding to assure her that they would follow her request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are you going to do?" Sokka asked her, obviously understanding the seriousness of the message, "And who are Mai and Zuko?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My friend and my elder brother." she clarified, and she turned her attention back to the mongoose lizard carrying the messenger hawk cages, "I need to send a letter to my uncle. This proves that we've been waiting too long. We need to act now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Act?" he raised brow, "Your dad tried to kill your brother. So, what are you doing?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stopping my father and whatever he intends to do with the Fire Nation, that's what."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. The Art Of The Sword</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Prince Lu Ten was a little confused when he heard the sound of metallic bangs and crashes when he strode down the hallway, just having finished his breakfast; usually, at that time of day, he might expect to see one of his cousins doing their firebending sets, given it was just before either of them would begin their schooling. He was unsure what the sound was coming from, but was interested enough to follow after it; he made his way toward one of the training yards in the palace, and the sounds became louder. He thought perhaps his uncle might have been training against dummies wearing armour, which he'd seen him do before, but he couldn't be sure of that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was surprised when he made sight of Zuko, who was wielding dao swords, holding them up against two men, who were both wielding jian swords; he watched from the edge of the training yard as his cousin parried blow after blow from the two swordsmen, and the elder Prince's jaw dropped. He had no idea that his cousin knew how to use swords, and quite proficiently at that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He was only nine years old, yet he was able to fight off two grown men, though they were clearly not trying to hurt him, simply offering a challenge for him to go up against. That was until Lu Ten witnessed Zuko use his dao like scissors, grabbing one of the jian swords and throwing it out of the man's hands; he looked at the Prince with an aghast expression, and stepped back, while the other swordsman stood in to continue sparring the young prince.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He threw his strength into his blows, forcing Zuko to maneuver around, and dodge a few of the swing; eventually, he was able to swing one of the dao down on the jian, and force it down toward the ground, giving him an opening to thrust his dao toward the swordsman's neck, leaving him in a position where he could only forfeit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good job, your highness." the swordsman commended the young Prince, "You were trained well."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lu Ten's young cousin grinned at that compliment, and drew his dao back into their sheath, "Really?" he asked, "Well, I'm glad you two were willing to spar me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It is our duty to provide services to the Royal Family." the other swordsman acknowledged, moving to pick up his sword from the ground, "If that involves sparring you, then we will." he noted, before the other swordsman cleared his throat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, Prince Zuko." he addressed him, before pointing towards Lu Ten, who had just remained quiet, watching the spar unfold, "Your cousin is here."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zuko turned around, and looked at his cousin with a nervous expression, "Oh... hi, Lu Ten." he waved to him, "Did you, uh, see my sparring?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he confirmed, stepping forward with a small smile on his face, "I didn't know you were so good with a dao, Zuko."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I only learnt from the best." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "Did Uncle not tell you where I went?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, he didn't." he admitted.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Last week, I went on a trip to a town called Shu Jing. You were away at the academy... that's why you didn't realise I was gone. I learned from a master there, Piandao."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh." the young Prince raised a brow, "I've heard of him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"About the fighting a hundred guys thing?" he asked, Lu Ten nodding, "Yeah, he's not really... uh, a traitor or anything. He's a really nice and wise man."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And you learned how to do that in a week?" he gestured to the men he had just beaten in a spar.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, yeah, pretty much.." he confirmed, "I've only won once, though." he admitted, "That was it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh." Lu Ten's eyes widened, before turning his gaze to the swordsmen, "Who are you two?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Just servants of the palace, your highness." one of them clarified, "We usually train the Imperial Firebenders to help them deal with assassins, but Crown Prince Iroh suggested we spar with the young prince."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did Dad send you to Piandao?" Lu Ten asked his cousin, who nodded, "Hmph, I wonder who gave him that idea." he mumbled to himself, recalling how he'd had a conversation with his father about his nephew's frustrations with firebending; he told him he had a solution, but he never would have guessed it would have been Zuko learning how to fight with dao.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well... are you going to spar me?" he asked the elder prince, who chuckled.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I haven't sparred someone with a sword before." he admitted, "Maybe not right now. I need to get ready to go back to the academy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Already?" he asked, "But you must have only come back home yesterday." Zuko guessed, Lu Ten nodding; he had a rather strict schedule, given that he only could be afforded a day back home in a week, though he was given ample break time at the academy, he didn't have enough of it to go home often.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, I know." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "Maybe I could spare a little time." he admitted, "Though, I promised Azula I would spar her as well."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, but you'll beat her pretty quickly. This is more of a challenge, right?" he asked, the elder Prince snickering.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Now, I never said your sister was a pushover. She's a good firebender." he conceded his cousin's skill, before pointing toward his cousin, "I can fight you, Zuko, but I don't exactly know how to go against dao."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He turned around, and pointed toward some armour that was sitting by the edge of the training yard, "You can put those gauntlets on so I won't cut your hands." he suggested, Lu Ten scrunching his lips up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's a good idea." he agreed to his proposition, before pacing over to the gauntlets; he pulled them over his forearms and fastened them in place, and then turned to face his cousin, who had already drawn his dao back out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Have you fought a firebender with those?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head, "There's a first for everything, I guess." he noted as he took his own firebending stance; his left hand ahead of his right, and his right leg poised to move up into a kick, or to sidestep an attack, if necessary.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When his cousin began to move toward him, readying his dao, the elder Prince spun his hands around, conjuring a circle of flames, which grew stronger with each passing second; it shone brightly as he forced it forward, sending the flames toward his cousin, who cut his dao through the fire as he ducked down. He then leapt up, moving his swords toward Lu Ten's face, who was forced to lean back to dodge his attack. He reached forward, creating a fire whip which coiled from his arm to his cousin's leg, grappling it before he dragged him off of his feet. He jabbed one of the dao into the gaps between the tiles, using it to hold himself up while he spun himself around, freeing himself from Lu Ten's flames.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He smirked at his cousin's quick thinking, and readied a defensive stance he readied his blades once more, slashing them up toward the elder Prince, who leaned back once more, kicking his right foot into one of the dao blades, which had its flat side facing toward him. He forced the blade out of his cousin's hand, and sent flames from the heel of his foot, flinging the sword into the air, and sending it careening over onto the ground. He then spun his hands around as he dropped his right leg down to the ground; flames appeared between his hands, and his cousin lunged forwards with his sword, aiming to strike him. Lu Ten drew up a wall of flames between himself and Zuko, and though his cousin could cut through it, not even considering his own firebending capabilities, it gave him a moment to step back and plan his next move.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you hiding?" he heard Zuko question him, before he slashed through the flames with his blade, catching sight of his cousin; he moved to attack him again, but found himself falling flat on his face as the elder Prince used the cover of the wall of flames to send a fire bolt out of his left sole, striking his cousin in the shin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He grunted as he hit the ground, and though Lu Ten intended to stop the fight then and there, his cousin wasn't as willing to give in as he might have expected. He spun himself around, kicking his cousin in the shins, which made Lu Ten stumble back. He struggled to keep his balance as his cousin readied his blade, and thrust it upward, holding it just below his chin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, do I win?" Zuko asked his cousin, who let out a sigh.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, I think you do." he conceded, "You're quite good at it. Dancing, that is."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His cousin scrunched his lips up, looking up at him, leaving him unsure if he was going to be angry, or accept his little jab, "If this is dancing, then maybe I should become an actor instead of a prince."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good idea, Zuko." he pointed at him with a smug grin, his cousin pouting as he let out a sigh.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You were meant to laugh." he retorted, making him snicker.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, it was funny, but you are very fast on your feet, Zuko."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." he nodded, rising up to his full height, "But I'm not becoming an actor. I'm Prince Zuko."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And what does Prince Zuko want to do?" he asked him, "Would you like to become the greatest swordsman in the Fire Nation."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's a good idea." he admitted, before smirking, his smile trying to assure him he could fulfil that suggestion, "I'll do it, just you wait."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm looking forward to it." he acknowledged, "It would be a pretty great achievement if you could make people more afraid of you when you aren't even firebending."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That might come in handy if I go to fight in the war." Zuko observed, his cousin letting out a nervous laugh; he didn't want to imagine his nine year old cousin going off to fight on the frontlines, even if she wouldn't be doing so for many years.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Let's just hope you won't need to be in such a situation." he suggested, before glancing around, "Now, could you do me a favour and direct me to where you sister is? I need to kick her butt too."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh." Zuko's eyes widened, before he chuckled, "She's down firebending against those Earth Kingdom dummies." he gestured to the hallway, the elder Prince glancing that way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Got it." he nodded, before patting his cousin on the shoulder, "You did good, Zuko. I'm sure Dad is happy about you finding a new skill."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uncle was more excited about it than I was." he admitted, sounding almost a little confused by it, "But that's okay. He just wants me to be the best Prince I can be."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're pretty good for a nine year old. When you're my age, you'll be fighting a hundred men at once."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A hundred?" Zuko's eyes widened, "That's a little crazy, Lu Ten."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, maybe ten." he gave him a more accurate number, "I'm sure you'll be able to do it. Firebending or not." he assured him, his cousin beaming at him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Mai would admit that when she had finally made sight of the port they were approaching, she was almost excited; not because she was rather enthused about getting closer to Shu Jing, but because she wanted to get off the boat. She had not enjoyed her time there, being eyed off by sailors and having to do menial work for little gain. They were only getting a few dozen ban in payment for their services, but she was glad they were getting anything at all. She thought perhaps they would have to tolerate the working on the freight ship, and leave with nothing but their clothes and the few meagre possessions they had, which for Mai, effectively consisted of her throwing knives, stilettos and sai. Zuko had even less, only having the dagger he had received from Iroh years earlier, something that he seemed to value more than anything else; he didn't even have his dao, having left them at the ruins of the hideout in the aftermath of the explosion. She regretted not retrieving them, knowing that he might have held some attachment to them also, though he hadn't mentioned them since.</p><p>She was standing ready to receive their payment from the First Mate, Jishang, and though she was sure he was dealing with the port authorities, and might take his time, she didn't want to leave empty handed. They had already helped heave goods onboard the ship, and now that it was likely about to leave, she knew that he would come around to farewell them and hand them what they were owed. Zuko was getting impatient, as he tended to, but otherwise, he seemed to be in a decent mood. He was obviously just glad their time on the ship hadn't ended with disaster, and perhaps, like her, was glad to be off of it. He probably didn't want to spend anymore time cleaning around on a ship, which in his eyes, as a Prince, was probably more than degrading; he hadn't been that vocal about his frustrations, but she could tell that he didn't really enjoy it.</p><p>"Kamen, are you getting annoyed?" she asked him, with a completely straight face, a little curious how he'd react by being called his pseudonym.</p><p>"Uh, no." he assured her, glancing around for Jishang, "I'm just hungry."</p><p>Breakfast had been early in the day, and as they had arrived at port before the crew could be served lunch, they had gone quite some time without food; she wasn't that hungry herself, or perhaps, she could just tolerate her stomach grumbling more than he could. She didn't want to brag internally that she was tougher than Zuko, as a part of her told her that was just a stupid thing to do, and if he could even notice the slightest bit of smugness on her lips, then he'd figure it out.</p><p>"And maybe try not to call me Kamen..." he added, more quietly, "It's weird."</p><p>"What, do you prefer Zuzu?" she quipped in return, making him cringe, obviously not approving of the nickname Azula had given him as a child, and then, out of a desire to annoy him, had continued to use well into his teen years.</p><p>"Please." he murmured, sounding almost as if he were begging her to not call him that again.</p><p>"It's not like I actually care." she acknowledged, "It is fun to annoy you." she added her honest opinion on the matter, the Prince furrowing a brow.</p><p>"Fun?" he asked her, "You didn't even smile."</p><p>"I don't need to smile when I enjoy your cringing." she retorted, before glancing around, noting that Jishang was in the distance, walking along the dock back toward the ship; she raised her hand up, knowing that she needed to get his attention so they could finally get going.</p><p>He approached the pair, and made a small smile as came to speak with them, "Ah, Kamen, Hishu. I see you're all ready to leave. It was a pleasure having you on the ship." he addressed them with pleasantries, which were not her concern; she simply smiled at him, forcing her face to contort in such a manner that felt unnatural to her.</p><p>"We enjoyed our time." she lied through her teeth, before offering her hand out, "So, how much?"</p><p>"You were with us for five days, so that's... forty ban each." he clarified, before furrowing a brow, reaching into his pocket, looking at the coins he drew out.</p><p>He counted them, before handing each of them coins totalling the aforementioned value, and they put the coins into their pockets.</p><p>"Thank you." Zuko made a small bow toward him, "Good luck with your travels." he simply told him, before he began to pace on down the dock; Jishang raised a brow, and Mai looked toward the Prince as he paced on down the dock, clearly intent on going to find some lunch in the port town.</p><p>"Uh... that was a little abrupt." he noted, and she turned her eyes back to him.</p><p>"He's hungry." she clarified, "Goodbye, Jishang." she simply told him before she followed after the Prince; she didn't have any time for farewells, and not feeling much care for anyone on the ship helped- she had not been there to make friends, after all.</p><p>"Uh, bye." the First Mate waved to her before he made his way back up to the plank that led onto his ship.</p><p>She had to pace quite fast to catch up with Zuko, whose pacing clearly indicated the severity of his hunger; when she caught up beside him, she looked at him with slight concern.</p><p>"Are you really that hungry, Zuko?"</p><p>"Yes." he told her snappily, before shaking his head, "I'm sorry. I just need something to eat."</p><p>"You have more pressing things to be in a shit mood over." she observed, before turning her gaze away, towards the end of the dock, preferring him to have trivial concerns rather than life-threatening ones; that would keep her calmer in the end, and she certainly wasn't akin to constant danger and a fear for her life which had not left her since she fought those men just outside of her house.</p><p>"I..." he mumbled, before shaking his head; he was still worried, and she realised it was a poor choice to remind him of it.</p><p>The pair continued along in silence, and made their way along the long concrete and stone dock that jut out into the bay the port was located within. They were on the same island as Shu Jing, which according to Zuko, was a village located by some waterfalls, and well-isolated from even the relatively isolated port town they had arrived at. That was good and bad news for them at the say time, given that they wanted to remain as far away from and well-hidden from Ozai's conspiracy, but still able to get news from other parts of the world which might tell them what was going on with Azula and the Fire Lord, who according to the most recent information they had received while sailing, was still missing.</p><p>She felt more than a little concern for Azula, knowing that the assassins that Ozai had sent her way might fight her, if they were still going after Iroh, as Zuko assumed they would be; she knew that her friend was reckless at times, and that she might put herself in danger to try and help her uncle, or perhaps even to enact revenge upon those assassins. She just hoped that she would receive her letter, go to Ty Lee, and retrieve the evidence she could use to publicly announce Ozai's treachery; the message she had sent was coded with another inside, though she was sure that with her wits and knack for deceit, she might be able to find it, though she feared somebody else might read it.</p><p>"Something's on your mind." Zuko observed, "Did somebody say something again?" he asked her, obviously thinking that she had found some new information, when in reality, she was just going over her own actions and knowledge, hoping that she had made the right choice in sending those letters.</p><p>"No." she turned her head slightly, eyeing him as she wondered whether she ought to tell him what she was thinking; she knew that it might just get Zuko more worried, thinking about all the things that could happen to Ty Lee, his sister and his uncle, just because of what they had done alone, "I'm just thinking about what might happen."</p><p>"With... Azula?" he asked, the nervousness clear in his voice; Mai nodded, and he sighed, turning his gaze ahead as he eyed toward the market that sat by the end of the dock, "She warned me about something like this happening."</p><p>"What do you mean?" she furrowed a brow, the Prince's expression hardening; he was angry, even if it was covered mostly by his tired expression, and she was sure it was not with anyone other than himself.</p><p>"I thought she was just trying to scare me, but... she was right. Father must have known about what I was doing, and figured out I knew too much, and was going to help Uncle. She already guessed all this... before Grandfather even died."</p><p>"Well, you were sneaking around for a while." she reminded him, "It was only a matter of time before people spotted you, or figured out who was behind the disguises."</p><p>"I'm just not as lucky as other people." he conceded, before clenching his fists, "But I'll make us some luck. I know.... I know we aren't done yet."</p><p>"How much will Piandao be able to help us?" she asked him bluntly, unsure other than the lodging he might provide, what help Zuko's former sword master would give them.</p><p>"He's... friends with my uncle. I mean, they're probably not that close, but they know each other well, and I have a feeling that... whatever my uncle was going to Omashu for, Piandao might know about it."</p><p>She raised a brow, unsure what some random sword master would have to do with the politics of the Fire Nation, "Why?"</p><p>"Because he left the army, and he doesn't like fighting, at least, the kind that we do in the Earth Kingdom. I know that Uncle was going to make peace with the Earth Kingdom, and that he doesn't like war much either. They both want peace, and I think that Piandao might help us get to Uncle, because he would want that peace to come about,, once... all this is dealt with." he explained as they approached the market, Mai raising a hand to his shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer; all his talk gave her one question, and she was surprised she hadn't even asked it before.</p><p>"And what do you think about ending the war?" she asked, the Prince furrowing a brow.</p><p>"We've won. All that matters is that peace comes about, and we don't have to fight anymore battles that will... cause unnecessary sacrifices."</p><p>"Do you think your cousin's death has to do with what your uncle wants?" she asked, guessing that from what he had just told her, Iroh wanted to end the war and bring peace to the Four Nations, something that stood in stark contrast to Fire Lord Azulon's leadership, and what she assumed Zuko's father would do.</p><p>"We all loved Lu Ten." he simply put it, "It wasn't fair... but that's just that. People die for little gain, and my grandfather, he just let it happen for... decades." he acknowledged, "We shouldn't forget those sacrifices, and not let them go to waste either." he gave his opinion, before shaking his head, "Can we stop talking about this and get some lunch now?"</p><p>She nodded, knowing that she didn't want Zuko to get in a bad mood thinking about his dead cousin; it wasn't fair, given she knew she had nothing to compare to that. She turned her attention towards the various stalls at the market; they were selling goods, presumably shipped over from other parts of the Fire Nation and the colonies, alongside various fresh, cooked foods as well as dry foods. There seemed to be reasonable variety, but given they weren't the richest dish cleaners and window scrubbers in the Fire Nation, they certainly weren't going to be buying much.</p><p>"What do you want?" Zuko asked her, now that they had entered the port market, before smirking, "Let me guess... a fruit tart." he raised a finger, and though she was inclined to agree, she really just wanted to eat something that would fill her stomach so they could start their journey to Shu Jing by foot.</p><p>"No." she refused, "We barely have any money." she reminded him, "We should just buy something that is cheap and will keep us sated." she suggested, the Prince's eyes momentarily widening before he straightened his face, giving her a curt nod in response.</p><p>"Yeah, that's a better idea." he conceded, though he seemed a little embarrassed by having himself refuted.</p><p>Whether he had some kind of romantic intention or not by his suggestion, it didn't really matter to Mai; she just wanted to make sure they could feed themselves until they reached Shu Jing. She glanced around at the stalls that surrounded them, and noted a few of them selling snacks like fire flakes and rice cakes, though she didn't think that would suffice. She paced along, eyeing the stalls intently, wondering what would fill their stomachs.</p><p>"How about some noodles?" Zuko suggested, and she turned to see where he was pointing, a stall that clearly had 'hot noodles' marked out on the top of it; she nodded, and followed after him, thinking they should at least check the prices first.</p><p>From the number of people standing outside of it, she assumed that it was a reasonably popular stall, and that told her the food itself had to be decent; as they paced over to the stall, she began to hear some commotion nearby, and turned her attention to some men and women shouting, and spotted somebody running away from one of the stalls with what looked like a bag of coins. A thief, she assumed, and when he came their way, she tapped Zuko on the shoulder, getting his attention; he turned around, and raised a brow, probably considering whether he ought to do anything about it.</p><p>Mai preempted him by flicking her right arm out, whacking the thief in the forehead as he ran toward them, knocking him to the ground. He dropped the bag of the coins, and Zuko leaned to pick it up; she eyed the thief, and wondered whether to let him go. She didn't really have anything against him personally, and didn't really care for apprehending someone when it probably wouldn't bring her much personal gain.</p><p>"You better keep running. I'm sure the guards will have a field day with you." the Prince suggested, the thief's eyes widening, before he glanced back toward the guards, who were moving to apprehend him.</p><p>The thief got up to his feet and kept on running, and the guards came up toward the pair, the Prince offering them the bag of coins, "Here's the money he stole." he explained, one of them taking the bag into their hands, before pulling a few copper coins out, and tossed them to the Prince, who grabbed them with ease, proving his reflexes were just as good as they used to be before the explosion.</p><p>"Thanks." he simply told them, before pointing to the thief, "Get back here!" he shouted at the thief, who didn't stop running.</p><p>Mai eyed the coins, and knew they wouldn't amount to any more than ten ban, though it was a good addition to their meagre funds; she turned to face Zuko, who seemed to approve of the additional coins, "Well, this is a surprise." he admitted, before tilting his head toward the stall, "So, lunch?"</p><p>She nodded, and followed after him as he approached the end of the line, and they stood behind the last people there, the Prince crossing his arms as they waited; he eyed off toward where the guards had ran off to, and furrowed a brow.</p><p>"What?" she asked him, the Prince shaking his head.</p><p>"It's nothing." he simply refuted her question, before turning his gaze toward the stall.</p><p>"Don't tell me you think we should start thieving to get some more money."</p><p>"At the moment, it's not necessary." he assured her, before looking down at the coins he held in his hand, "But if we don't have any coins, then maybe we'll take them from somebody who needs them less than us."</p><p>She rolled her eyes at his suggestion, and eyed toward the stall, looking at the pots of noodles that were being cooked, "You do realise that we can just find work again, right?"</p><p>"I'm not cleaning windows." he argued, Mai shaking her head; she didn't think they would have to do work like that again- out in the outer islands, she assumed there was much farm work and other kinds of manual labour to do that would feel less demeaning, at least to a Prince like Zuko.</p><p>"You won't have to." she assured him, before crossing her arms, "Are you really that hungry?"</p><p>"Yes." he confirmed, making her consider what else he might resort to on an empty stomach.</p><p>"Well, you better keep a full stomach, or you'll do something you regret." she warned him, "And I don't want to have to save your butt again."</p><p>"You won't." he assured her, "I'm keeping my head down."</p><p>"For now." she added off-handedly, the Prince looking at her, seeming offended by her words.</p><p>"I'm not that reckless."</p><p>"Oh, and what you did back in the capital wasn't reckless?" she retorted, Zuko cringing at the thought of what he had done; he must have understood that even if Ozai was the one who had those assassins go after them, he was the one who had done the espionage that had led to that reaction.</p><p>"I've... I've learned my lesson." he conceded, Mai letting herself smile, glad that was the case.</p><p>"Good." she accepted his words as an honest reflection of his feelings, before turning her gaze toward the stall, "What kind of noodles do you want?"</p><p>"Something with a little spice. A little less bland than what we eating on that ship." he suggested, making her raise a brow.</p><p>"So, now you're going to insult their cooking now that the cooks aren't feeding you?" she asked, the Prince scrunching his lips up.</p><p>"It wasn't really that good." he argued, before sighing, "But it was better than nothing."</p><p>She turned her attention ahead, "Well, we've got money now, so we can get some good food. Will that please his-" she began to ask him, the Prince raising a hand, obviously realising what insult she had in mind.</p><p>"I get it." he assured her, "This is the first time I've really lived without any of my... privileges."</p><p>"This is the kind of lesson your tutors won't teach you."</p><p>"What, how to spend money well?" he asked, sounding amused by the idea of being taught something like that, "That's just called economics."</p><p>"Well that's concerning the whole country. We're talking about the forty ban in your pocket and the ten in your hand." she reminded him, the Prince glancing down to his hand.</p><p>"I guess they didn't." he noted, before furrowing a brow, "Wait, does this mean we have to... uh, what's the word for it? Barter?"</p><p>"Haggle." she corrected him, "And I doubt we'd be able to do that. We're outsiders. We don't even know what price they'd usually ask for." she explained with a whisper, the Prince leaning closer.</p><p>"So, just aim low?"</p><p>"No, we don't want any trouble." she argued, "They mightn't be very happy if we demand low prices."</p><p>"Well, I'm not going to beg for their pity." he argued in return, making Mai raise a brow.</p><p>"So is it empty pockets or an empty stomach?" she questioned, knowing those were the only other options; he sighed, and shook his head, seeming frustrated that he would have to act in an undignified manner.</p><p>"I guess I really have to pretend I'm a starving peasant."</p><hr/><p>With the evening sun falling below the hills to the west, Sokka was felt a sense of calm as he sat by a campfire; even if he was sitting around a bunch of Fire Nation people that he didn't really trust or like, they didn't seem to hate his guts, not even Azula, who had made an effort to express how much he annoyed her. He had tried to lay off the questions and just stay quiet after what she had learned from that coded letter; in all honesty, he was rather proud of himself for figuring out the code, though he was more concerned after it by the Princess's reaction. He didn't know anything about the Fire Nation Royal Family, and Aang didn't really speak about what he had learned, so he was in the dark when it came to the familial conflict that clearly seemed to be in play.</p><p>For his dinner, he had been offered some meagre Fire Nation rations, which consisted of rice and dried meat, the former which had just been quickly cooked up in a pot that had been taken along on the back of one of the mongoose lizards. The Imperial Firebenders, who were protecting the Princess, were quietly chatting amongst themselves, and from what he had heard of their conversations, they were avoiding the topic of the war and the conflict that was seemingly about to unfold over the leadership of the Fire Nation.</p><p>Azula, on the other hand, was silent, having eaten her meal, and was looking into the flames, which flickered at time with the blue of her firebending. He thought perhaps that she might be meditating, so he decided to remain quiet, and just sat there, eating the rest of his meal. As he ate the bowl of rice and meat, he could hear some of the soldiers shuffling about, and glance dup, noting that they must have been going to either relieve themselves or go to bed.</p><p>"If it's okay, your highness, the men will go and play some dice games until we go to sleep. We'll leave you here in peace." one of the guards explained, the Princess turning her gaze over toward him.</p><p>"Fine." she accepted his request, "I don't want anyone staying up after twilight. We need to move at first light tomorrow morning."</p><p>"We're nearly there, aren't we?" Sokka asked, remembering they were intent on getting to Azula's ship, which must have been where it was when Aang had escaped it.</p><p>The Princess turned her eyes to the Water Tribesman, and narrowed them, "We'll reach my ship, and then hopefully, I can check navy and army reports that should have come into my ship so I can track down Aang and hand you back to him." she explained, "I want you gone as much as you want to be with your friends."</p><p>"Really?" he raised a brow, "Are you that enthusiastic to see me gone?" he asked, the Princess chuckling, before shaking her head.</p><p>"Just eat your food. I just want to sit here in silence." she requested, and Sokka nodded, getting how her mood was; she was obviously thinking about things, as he'd expect anybody to when they found out their father had tried to kill their brother.</p><p>He continued to chew down on the meat and rice, taking pieces bit by bit into his mouth with the chopsticks. They were flavoured with some kind of spice, and he thought it tasted pretty good, though he had no intention of telling anyone that; he didn't want anybody knowing he even considered eating the enemy's food. He did finish the bowl rather quickly, and once it was done, he placed it down beside himself, before turning his eyes to the Princess, wondering what she was thinking about; he knew his curiosity was getting the better of him, and that needlessly questioning her would only agitate Azula, as he already had.</p><p>She eyed him once he had put the bowl down, and gestured away from the campfire, "You have a tent. Go to it." she suggested, or perhaps, demanded of him.</p><p>"I'm not that tired yet." he retorted, crossing his arms as he looked up above them, seeing the clouds that reflected the sun's light from below the horizon, "It's not even that dark."</p><p>"Don't tell me you're worried about me." she crossed her arms, "You don't even know me."</p><p>"Yeah, I don't." he agreed with her, "I'm not worried about you... I'm worried about the world." he admitted, "The Fire Nation's pretty much won the war, and now, it looks like you're all about to go at each other's throats."</p><p>"That wouldn't be an inaccurate judgement." she conceded, her golden eyes narrowing at him, seeming a little interested, though in what, he was unsure, "Do you even know why we're here?"</p><p>"Because your uncle met with the Order of the White Lotus." Sokka recalled, "I assume he wanted to try and make peace with the Earth Kingdom by doing that."</p><p>"It's a lot harder to make peace when another man is effectively the Fire Lord." she warned him, before shaking her head, "That damn idiot."</p><p>He looked down, wondering if she was referring to her uncle as an idiot, or perhaps her own father; Sokka was just glad he wasn't the one being insulted.</p><p>"Who's the idiot?"</p><p>"Zuko." she clarified, her eyes turning up to him as the flames of the campfire began to flicker with bits of blue, "I warned him about going after our father... and he got what was coming for him."</p><p>"I mean... your dad doesn't sound like the nicest guy." he admitted, "Maybe he was just trying to help your uncle... I mean, that's what you've been doing, right?"</p><p>"That's why I wanted to kill those assassins." she recalled, narrowing her eyes at him, "I wasn't just there to capture Aang, I was there to kill them."</p><p>"That explains... the anger." he conceded, before placing his hands together, "So, do you have any idea where this brother of yours is?"</p><p>"No." she shook her head, "Maybe Uncle will. I just have to get to Ty Lee... that's what matters."</p><p>"And Aang." he reminded her, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"I don't know why he hasn't just come up to us already on that sky-bison of his." she expressed her frustrations, "Unless he's running from Fire Nation forces."</p><p>"Appa's fast. They wouldn't have caught him." he assured Azula, who scoffed at his words.</p><p>"Oh, you say that now. The Fire Navy is the best equipped in the world, and they have enough catapults, net launchers and manpower to take down the Avatar... assuming he doesn't use his powers." she acknowledged, "You've seen it first hand... what do you think?"</p><p>"Anger... grief... fear..." he mumbled, recalling the emotions Aang must have been feeling when he saw Gyatso's body, "If they go after Katara, Appa or Momo and hurt them, he'll... well, those sailors better know how to swim."</p><p>"Are you saying he can sink an entire ship?"</p><p>"I think he could single-handedly take down an army if he wanted to." Sokka suggested, simply extrapolating what he had witnessed at the Southern Air Temple to a battle situation, "He doesn't have any control over it... that's the problem."</p><p>"Well, that's a disaster just waiting to happen." she observed, "Though, I have a far larger disaster in my hands."</p><p>"Are you going to fight your father?" he asked her bluntly, and the Princess scoffed.</p><p>"No." she flatly refused his suggestion, "That'd be stupid. He's a master firebender and is currently protected by the best firebenders in the Fire Nation. If I was to face him, it would have to be under false pretenses, and even then, I will-" she began, before cutting herself off, "Why am I even telling you? It's not like you can do anything about this conflict. It has nothing to do with you."</p><p>"It's a danger to the world, and that concerns Aang... which concerns me." he argued, "Obviously your family has some issues."</p><p>"That'd be an understatement." she warned him, "My uncle and father are both so self-assured in their ideals that there will never be peace between them. I thought my uncle was going to just let my father walk all over him, but I think I was wrong." she admitted, looking into the flames, "He's not weak."</p><p>"He killed that assassin with a lightning bolt. If that isn't crazy bending power, I don't know what is."</p><p>"The Avatar is truly powerful, and that's why my father is probably worried about him. I'd expect him to be sending men after Aang as we speak." she noted, the Water Tribesman tensing up.</p><p>"Like that guy we fought?"</p><p>"Probably worse... given that he has command of the Fire Nation military and the war council." she explained, before looking down, "Neither of us can do much about that."</p><p>"Well, right now." Sokka argued, "Eventually Aang will master the elements, and the Fire Lord will stop your father."</p><p>"There's no point discussing these matters." she retorted, "I need to stop him from getting caught, and you all need to get to the North Pole."</p><p>"Are you going to follow us there?" he asked, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"No, I need to find Ty Lee." she reminded him, "That's what I am concerned about."</p><p>"Is your friend in danger?" he asked her, the Princess furrowing a brow.</p><p>"If my father knows anything about the letters Mai has been sending, then yes, she is in danger." she admitted, before rising up to her feet, "I cannot let whatever evidence or information she has be lost."</p><p>"And... you've got to save her, right?" he asked, the Princess scoffing.</p><p>"I'm nobody's hero." she retorted, "Ty Lee is competent enough to save herself... but saving whatever Mai has sent her... that's another question."</p><p>"What can be more important than warning you about your father?" he asked, Azula narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"Information that can be used against him. Just saying that Mai and Zuko are alive doesn't do anyone any good if they can't help me stop him." she argued, before glancing over toward the tents, "I need to sleep. We're leaving at sunrise, so you better be ready to wake then." she warned him, the Water Tribesman rising up to his own feet.</p><p>"Uh, what do I do with the bowl?" he asked, pointing to what he had eaten his dinner out of.</p><p>"Wash it." she explained, before raising a brow, "You must be disappointed you weren't born a waterbender." she suggested, the Water Tribe warrior shaking his head as he moved to pick up the bowl.</p><p>"You're wrong." he warned her, narrowing his eyes as he remembered that day; it had changed his life forever, and he couldn't help but feel the slightest relief that it wasn't his nature that was responsible for what had happened- Katara had to live with a burden of guilt that he couldn't compare to, "I'm relieved."</p><p>"Why?" she raised a brow, sounding confused by his words, "Do you feel that confident about your skills, savage?" she mocked him, "Wits won't get you everywhere, you know."</p><p>"Bending is the source of all my problems." he argued, before sighing, "Okay, maybe not all of them... but most."</p><p>"You sound like my brother."</p><p>"Is he a non-bender too?"</p><p>"Oh, he might as well be." she joked, sounding amused by what seemed to be her brother's bending abilities; he guessed he didn't compare well to the blue fire and lightning bolts, "He's just jealous that I'm so much better than him."</p><p>"You know, if you act like that to his face, he'd probably try and burn it off." he warned her, making her snicker.</p><p>"Oh, he's tried." she revealed, the Water Tribesman shaking his head; he was no longer surprised that her uncle and father were feuding if that was how she treated her own brother.</p><p>"Do you hate him or something?" he asked, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"No. I don't hate anyone." she clarified, "He probably hates me... and I don't blame him. I'm just that much better than him."</p><p>"That's not how siblings are meant to work." he suggested, the Princess rolling her eyes.</p><p>"I'm not taking advice from the guy who got himself caught when he had a sky-bison, the fastest creature alive, to escape on."</p><p>"I got caught saving my sister and Aang!" he shouted at her, annoyed that she would suggest it was incompetence that had got him caught.</p><p>"Well, that makes you no better than Aang." she argued, "At least you're not a coward."</p><p>"He's not a coward, he's twelve." he retorted, the Princess falling silent, before he decided to ask her, "And what were you doing when you were twelve?"</p><p>"Training to become a master firebender and strategist so I could fight for my nation." she explained the fact of the matter, "And you?"</p><p>"Training to...." he began, "I mean... okay, I can see what you mean." he agreed with her, knowing that even if he couldn't bend, he had had the same mindset as her, at least since his mother had died; Aang was just afraid, and he understood that, but he knew that if he was in the same circumstances, he probably wouldn't have fled the temple, let alone surrendered to Azula- Sokka wouldn't just give up and run away, and he never intended to do that.</p><p>"How long have you been training to fight my people?" she asked, the Water Tribesman narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"Since I was six years old." he explained, "I mean... the warriors didn't really take me seriously, but I trained. I was ready to fight the Fire Nation if they came for us again... but they didn't."</p><p>"Your nation was already defeated before my uncle even took Ba Sing Se. You would have been waiting a long time." she warned him, the Water Tribesman clenching his fists; he wouldn't lie to himself, because it was the truth- he wanted revenge, and he wanted to honour his mother, and everything that he ought to be.</p><p>"Not yet." he warned her, "We're not done for yet." he added as he walked by her.</p><p>"You really are like him." she commented as he moved toward his tent, and he turned around, realising who she was referring to.</p><p>"Your brother?"</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, "He's as stubborn as a rock." she admitted, "He'd never give up trying to prove himself, even if it'd... well, lead to this."</p><p>"So, I guess you don't like to give up either." he noted, the Princess raising her chin up.</p><p>"Unlike him, I will always take the most effective path. I will not be rigid and stuck in my ways." she declared with an aura of confidence that he found admirable, even if he didn't really like or trust the Princess; what she was saying was interesting, given that it contrasted with how she had been reacting to her uncle's propositions about helping the Avatar and ending the war.</p><p>"Huh." Sokka furrowed a brow, before glancing away, "So, was that all an act, then?"</p><p>"What?" she questioned him, the flames of the campfire brightening as she turned back to face him, "What was an act?"</p><p>"Saying that you don't care... or don't have an opinion about the war."</p><p>"Why are you so set on this one question?" she asked him, now sounding agitated, and the blue flames behind her confirmed that suspicion.</p><p>"Because..." he began, unsure whether he should really tell her his reasoning; explaining his feelings and past to a stranger was weird, but it was the only way he could answer her question, "Because the Fire Nation killed my mother." he explained the fact of the matter, "And they've destroyed my tribe, and made us as poor and desperate as you probably imagine we are."</p><p>"That's better than not existing." she retorted, the Water Tribesman's eyes widening, before he gave a resolute nod; even if it was a snarky, if not mean thing to say, as if to minimise what had happened to the Southern Water Tribe, he was certain she was right- the Air Nomads were gone, and Aang was all that remained of them, a burden he would have to live with for the rest of his life.</p><p>"Yeah, it is. I really feel bad for Aang, and everything he's had to go through." he agreed with her, "But that's why." he reminded her, "So, do you care?"</p><p>"I want..." she began, her voice quiet, before she turned her eyes back toward the fire, the blue colour of the flame dissipating as they returned to their ordinary orange hue, "I want my cousin back." she simply told him, before pointing toward his tent, "Now fuck off, and leave me in peace." she told him; he thought her words might have been in anger, but her tone seemed to be more pained than anything.</p><p>He nodded, seeing that things had happened to her that he didn't understand, "Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry." he apologised to her, knowing that he might have gone a little far in pushing that question, for a second time.</p><p>As he turned away, he could hear her moving to sit back down, and he sighed as he approached his tent, wondering if he should even bother cleaning his bowl; that task seemed so far away and trivial when he really considered what he was doing, and why he was there. He needed to get back to Aang and Katara, and now, he felt more than nervous about the Princess. She seemed like she was ready to explode at any moment, and because of things he had no understanding of, and now, didn't think he would like to.</p><p>Whatever had happened to her, it wasn't as simple as her father trying to kill her brother, or even the whole feud that seemed to be unfolding between their family; she had her own painful memories, the same as him, and for once, he knew he could sympathise with her. She wasn't that nice, but she couldn't be that bad, at least not as bad as the crazy explosion guy who had nearly killed them all. The Fire Nation might have been stupid, but not all of them could be evil; the world was never going to be as simple as that boy who swore to protect his village from the 'evil ash-makers' wanted it to be.</p><hr/><p>Feeling somebody's hand grasp his arm made Zuko open his eyes immediately, and he moved into a defensive position at once; in the process of doing so, he raised his head up, and whacked it on what felt like a piece of wood. He grunted, and grasped the back of his head, blinking a few times before he remembered where he was; it was just Mai grabbing his arm to shake him awake, and they were in the back of a cart, travelling to Shu Jing.</p><p>"Sorry." she cringed slightly, before tilting her head toward the front of the cart, "The driver says we're here."</p><p>"Shit." he mumbled, scratching the back of his scalp, "How long was I asleep for?"</p><p>"Just a few hours. It's already getting close to midday." she explained; Zuko remembered how they had been walking during the night prior, not long after sunset, when a cart had come by and offered to give them a ride in exchange for a few coins- it wasn't that much money, so they accepted the offer, and climbed inside.</p><p>The driver had obviously taken them all the way to Shu Jing, which was good to hear, and now, they could finally get out and go walk up to Piandao's estate. He sighed with relief, just glad he wasn't about to get attacked.  He had been lying on his outer robes, and picked them up, before wrapping them back around his body; Mai handed him his waistband, and he strung that around his torso, before tightening it.</p><p>Zuko turned around and faced the driver, who was a middle aged man, with a moustache and a wiry frame; he knew he shouldn't be worried about getting attacked by him, given his appearance, but he knew he could never be too cautious. He considered his very thought, and realised that he was being paranoid, though after all that had happened, he thought that paranoia was well-reasoned.</p><p>"Thanks for driving us all the way here." he addressed the man who had helped them; he simply shrugged his shoulders and picked up a flask of water, which he took a sip from as he held his other hand on the reins of the dragon moose that was pulling the cart.</p><p>"Well, I was heading here anyway. You're going to pay me, right?" he asked, Mai nodding as she reached into her pocket.</p><p>"Will ten copper do?" she asked, offering him the coins; the man raised a brow, and for a moment, Zuko was nervous, wondering if that wasn't enough to appease him.</p><p>"That's not much... but you two don't look like you're in the best of situations." he conceded, "I'll take it." he decided, "Thanks." he accepted the coins, before gesturing ahead of them, "Here it is, the village of Shu Jing. You should see the waterfalls if you're going around; they're quite pretty." he suggested, the Pince nodding.</p><p>"Yeah, I know." he agreed with him, the man raising a brow.</p><p>'You've been here before?"</p><p>"Years ago." he clarified, "I'm here to see an old friend." he explained their reason for being there, and the driver nodded.</p><p>"Ah, that makes sense. Where'd you come from?"</p><p>"The main island." Mai gave him a vague answer, before leaning her head forward, "Do you know where we might be able to find work around here? We don't have much money."</p><p>"There's a few farms and mines in the area." he explained, "I'm actually transporting these supplies to a mine not far from here." he explained, "They probably aren't the best place for a young lady, however." he warned, making her raise her chin up.</p><p>"What, you think I can't work?" she asked, before the man nervously shook his head.</p><p>"No, of course not, I'm just saying-" he began to defend himself, Zuko rolling his eyes as he realised that she'd made him needlessly nervous.</p><p>"Don't worry about it." he assured him, "Let's just go, Hishu." he suggested, and she nodded, "Thanks for taking us; if we run into you again and we need transport, maybe you could help us again."</p><p>"Well, I don't come up here every day." he warned them, "But yeah, we'll see." he added, suggesting he might be willing to help them out again, "You seem like a nice young couple."</p><p>"Uh... thanks." he awkwardly smiled at him, before straightening his face, knowing that he had to get to Piandao's estate at once, "Could you stop the dragon moose for a second?"</p><p>He nodded, and pulled on the creature's reins, causing it to draw to a halt; Zuko pulled himself over to the edge of the cart, and then leapt out of it, before turning around, ready to offer Mai a hand, as would be courtesy. She completely ignored him, just jumping down the same that he had, before she glanced around.</p><p>"This village is far away from everything." she commented, before pursing her lips up slightly, "Good choice."</p><p>"Well, I didn't choose it for that reason." he reminded her, before glancing at the driver, who raised a hand up to farewell them.</p><p>"Good luck." he waved his hand, before whipping the reins, the dragon moose making a growl before it began to start moving again.</p><p>He turned back to face Mai, and gestured toward the village they had just arrived at, "Let's get moving."</p><p>"You just woke up, Zuko." she bluntly addressed the fact of the matter, "Don't you want to take a breath for a moment?"</p><p>"I am more than capable of walking up the hill to Piandao's estate." he assured her, "Are you tired?"</p><p>She shrugged her shoulders, and began walking toward the village, and he followed in suit; as they approached the various houses and shops that lined the street, Zuko wondered if they ought to try and buy something, though he thought that would be useless, given Piandao would be able to provide for them. Freeloading off his former master was not his intention, and he was sure that he could do some work for him, just as he knew Fat did, so he could earn his keep, and he guessed Mai would do the same.</p><p>Above all else, he knew that they would need to get to Piandao at once; he wanted to send a letter to his uncle, wherever he was at the moment, so he could inform him of his safety, and try to coordinate in some manner so that they could deal with his father. Even if wasn't considering fighting him directly anytime soon, he knew that stopping his conspirators from getting their hands on the various ministries of the Fire Lord's government, as well as the Fire Nation's army and navy, would be the main priority they faced.</p><p>The Avatar, obviously, was another one, and preventing him from falling into his father's hands would be vital if the last airbender was to play any role in the coming conflict; he knew that even if the Avatar didn't trust or like the Fire Nation, which would be completely reasonable if they had any idea what had happened to their people, then they would have to earn his trust. Perhaps, if his sister wasn't completely incompetent when it came to talking to people in a manner that didn't involve treating them as servants, then the Avatar might already see them in a positive light. Zuko did not, however, think his sister was going to have an easy time doing that, though he was sure his uncle, on the other hand, might be able to sway the Avatar with his wisdom and tea.</p><p>Mai cleared her throat, and Zuko realised that they had come to the centre of the village, where there was a well and a small market, though it wasn't very lively at that time of day, seeing that most people were likely at work, "Where do we go?" she asked him, and the Prince pointed up to their right, toward the precipice on which Piandao's estate was located; his manor house had quite the view over the nearby waterfalls, which he remembered as being quite beautiful, even if that wasn't really on his mind at the time.</p><p>They continued along, making their way up the relatively narrow path that led up through the village, and looked up beyond that, where he could see the winding path up to Piandao's estate. It didn't take them long to walk on up, though Zuko was forced to keep his pace slow as he was still dazed from just waking up. Mai, however, seemed perfectly fine, and kept tugging on his arm to make sure he kept up pace; he wanted to assure her that he wasn't tired, but just lying about it wouldn't do him any good, so he just kept quiet, and focused on following the path up toward the estate. He glanced back behind him, and noted the village getting smaller and smaller, as well as lower, as the path led them up above it, toward the cliffs and precipices of the wide canyon that the estate was built up against.</p><p>It was quite a defensible location, and perhaps, in earlier times, he wouldn't be surprised if the estate was used as a base for some warlord. He didn't know too much about the history of the Fire Nation before Sozin's reign, but he knew enough about the country to say it wasn't the nicest place at times, perhaps even comparable to what he imagined the Earth Kingdom was like at that very moment, with the areas outside of Fire Nation control effectively lawless, or worse, ruled by bandit warlords. He was glad that their country wasn't like that, but he couldn't help but feel they might be heading toward something like it, if the worst came to bear.</p><p>As they approached the gates of the estate, he let out a sigh as he placed his hands on his knees, realising how exhausted he was, just from that short walk. He knew he'd need to wake himself up with some tea, or perhaps a proper breakfast, though he was unsure if he could just receive that by asking; he knew Piandao was a kind-hearted man, but he probably wasn't going to just give him a bunch of things for free just because he had once been his student. Mai approached the gates of the estate, and knocked her hand on them; not just once, but three times, just to stress their urgency. Not getting an immediate response, she crossed her arms as Zuko strode up behind her, and covered his mouth as he let out a silent yawn.</p><p>"You are tired." she observed, as if to emphasise that he had been lying about it earlier, "Maybe you need to eat something." she suggested, and the Prince furrowed a brow, remembering they had bought some extra food for the road when they were at the port town.</p><p>"Uh, you've got some rice crackers in the bag, right?" he asked, and her hand pursed into the bag, before pulling out a rice cracker, which she threw to him; his reflexes were good enough that he could catch it without it falling from his hands, and getting soiled by touching the ground.</p><p>He took a bite, and then turned his head forward, his attention drawn by the sound of footsteps approaching the gates; a few moments later, one of the gates was pulled open slightly, and Fat's head peered out.</p><p>"Can I help you?" he asked her, and she gestured toward Zuko, who raised his hand up to greet him; he seemed perplexed by his greeting and pointed toward him, "Am I supposed to know who you are?" he asked, the Prince's eyes widening.</p><p>"Have I really changed that much?" he asked, "It's Prince Zuko." he identified himself, Fat's eyes widening.</p><p>"Wait!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger toward him, "You're..." he gasped, "What happened?" he asked, obviously confused why he was standing before him if he was supposedly dead.</p><p>"My father tried to have us killed and then covered it up. Can we stay here?" he addressed the fact of the matter as succinctly as he could, and Fat's jaw dropped with shock.</p><p>"I..." he murmured, lost for words, before he turned his head around, "Master Piandao will need to hear about this."</p><p>"Yeah, he will." he agreed, Fat pulling the gates open completely, and gestured for them to enter.</p><p>"Please, come. He has just been working on a new sword." he explained, gesturing toward the manor house ahead of them; he knew that his workshop was located on the other side of the estate, and thus, he followed after Fat as he led them inside.</p><p>He followed after the butler, and made his way into the manor house, which was just as ornate and massive as when he had left it; he thought it was quite a nice place to live, and even though his own home, the Royal Palace, was even more massive and ornate, it lacked the view, or the homeliness of the manor. Piandao certainly was a man who cared for aesthetics and the Prince could appreciate them too, even though he wasn't usually concerned about such things; Zuko, as an individual, had his mind set on one thing, and that was serving his country, and he couldn't do that if he was forced to hide from his father's men.</p><p>They made their way down through the hallway that ran through the centre of the manor, making their way out toward the rear room where he remembered his master teaching him how to do calligraphy, even if it was only for a short span of time. The pair followed Fat out to the garden that sat at the rear of the estate, and looked toward the workshop, out of which he could see smoke bellowing, telling him that he was most likely heating up some metal to forge it into a blade.</p><p>"Master." Fat called out into the workshop, "Prince Zuko is here to see you."</p><p>There was a few moments of silence, before Master Piandao strode out, standing shirtless in pants, as he had just been in the heat of the forge; he glanced at Zuko with surprise, before he picked up a robe he had hung up just nearby.</p><p>"Zuko... I heard you were missing, presumed dead." he noted as he pulled his robe over his torso, "Why have you come to me?"</p><p>"I know you can help me. You are friends with my uncle, so you must know how to contact him." he explained his reasoning, his former master nodding.</p><p>"I do know how to contact the Fire Lord." he confirmed, "The last I heard, he was still missing in the Earth Kingdom. That makes it somewhat of a challenge to do so."</p><p>"News will be coming soon, if he has been found." Zuko explained, "I need to tell him I'm alive, and find out what I can do to help him."</p><p>"Fight those assassins?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head.</p><p>"No, to stop my father." he explained, Piandao's eyes widening with surprise.</p><p>"Has Iroh told you about the Order?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head.</p><p>"No." he admitted, "But I know that he has associates. I assume that is what they are this 'order'." he concluded, the sword master nodding to confirm his suspicions.</p><p>"Your Uncle and I belong to a secret organisation, called the Order of the White Lotus, formed with the intention of bridging between the four nations, and hopefully, bringing peace between them."</p><p>"I assumed as much." Zuko admitted, before crossing his arms, "So, could you help us?"</p><p>"Is this... uh, Mai?" he asked, the Prince nodding.</p><p>"Uh, yes. She's accompanying me... well, because my father's men tried to kill her too."</p><p>"They tried to-" Piandao began, before shaking his head, "I shouldn't be surprised... but that's just terrible."</p><p>"I remember what you said about your parents, master... of all people, I thought you'd understand." he admitted, his expression shifting to one of pain; he had learned that Master Piandao's parents were both skilled firebenders, who abandoned him upon realising their child was a non-bender- that wasn't the same as Ozai trying to have him killed, but he knew that the emotional significance of such an action was comparable.</p><p>"I do." he admitted, "I'm sorry that you've ended up in the situation you have, Prince Zuko. I am impressed that you came all this way just to seek my help."</p><p>"I thought I could trust you, and I... I think I was right."</p><p>"I will help you, Zuko." he assured him, before eyeing Mai, "And you too, Mai. I am sorry that you've been dragged into all this."</p><p>"And I'm sorry too. If they come here... we'll try and protect your home." she assured him, the Prince's eyes widening; he hadn't really considered the possible outcome of them being tailed to Piandao's estate.</p><p>"M-Master..." he gasped, before raising a hand to his forehead, "I didn't even..."</p><p>"Don't worry, Prince Zuko. You know I am a master of the art of the sword. Whatever your father may send our way, we will hold them off."</p><p>He bowed toward his former master, glad that he had somebody that he could rely on; even if it had been years since he trained him in the art of the sword, he was sure that Piandao was the same man he remembered him as. Wise, thoughtful, with an admirable temperament and understanding of the world that he could only hope to attain when he was his age.</p><p>"Thank you, Master. Is there anything I could do for you?"</p><p>"It is not what you can do for me, Prince Zuko." he admitted, placing a hand on his shoulder, his small smile reassuring him of the safety he had found, "It is what you can do for the world."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. The Gravity Of Friendship</h2></a>
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  <em>Azula thought school would be brilliant; her father had told her that as a Princess of the Fire Nation, she would excel in her studies, and would be lauded and adored by the other girls at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls for her achievements and for her position as member of the royal family, which was steeped in a long history of great figures, acclaimed for their bending, martial and political skills. The expectations were high, and she knew she wouldn't disappoint him; she was, however, disappointed in the experience itself.</em>
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  <em>Though she had received the respect she expected from the other girls, and only a small show of her bending would be necessary to put anyone in line, she didn't think it would be necessary; she had the respect and obedience she had been told she would receive, however adoration was a little hard to come by. Nobody seemed very interested in her, at least for who she was as an individual, but in what danger she might pose to them. It was certain she could have any girls who annoyed her expelled, if she wanted, but that wasn't what she had wanted.</em>
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  <em>Azula had expected to find respect and perhaps friends, allies that she could utilise in future as she grew older, and would have to join the ranks of the royal family, both as a representative of the Fire Lord, but as his servant. Thinking of herself as a servant made Azula feel disgusted, knowing the kinds of levels that servants stooped to, but even her father framed it in that way. He told her that they were all servants of the Fire Lord, and that they were to make sure his will was enacted. She didn't really understand what that meant, and it was of little concern to her as she sat alone at lunchtime, wondering if anyone would try to talk to her.</em>
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  <em>When she came home, the Princess was not happy, and didn't feel like doing her sets; she had not failed in the sense that she feared, thinking that she might slip up when showing her father her sets, and he would scold her, as he usually did to Zuko; she had been scolded in the past, and she certainly didn't like it, and that was why she tried to perfect her bending. Perfecting sets was easy, but perfecting the art of conversation and socialising would be a lot harder; her father would not scold her for that, because it wasn't necessary for her to master being someone's friend. He hadn't even told her to make friends, he simply said 'make yourself some allies', and left it at that.</em>
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  <em>She didn't know what to make of it, and being a young girl, she knew that asking others about this would only give her pity, so she decided that she would figure it out herself; talking to herself wouldn't do much good, seeing that Azula talking to Azula would only leave her in the same place she started at. She knew how she ought to be treated, but not how she ought to treat a girl her age, at school, where she would not see them as servants, nor as strangers or enemies; they were somewhere in between, and that felt unusual and alien to her.</em>
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  <em>When she heard a knock on her bedroom door, she feared it might be her father, coming to ask her how her day was, and then, if she had made any 'allies', as he had put it; she nervously placed her hands together, before straightening her posture on her bed, turning her head slightly so she was looking at the door, "Who is it?" she asked, trying to sound as normal as she could when speaking.</em>
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  <em>"Lu Ten." her cousin identified himself, and she almost sighed with relief, but instead, just smiled, glad it was him showing up, out of all people.</em>
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  <em>She almost leapt up off of her bed, and approached the door of her bedroom, before she pulled it open, eyeing her cousin, who looked at her with an intrigued face, "Something tells me you don't like school." he deduced, the Princess's eyes widening.</em>
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  <em>"Wow." she gasped, "You're pretty good at guessing, Lu Ten." she admitted, making him laugh.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, thanks." he grinned at her, before placing a hand on his shoulder, "Seriously, I do wanna know how your first day was. Was it fun?"</em>
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  <em>"School isn't fun." she admitted honestly, "Showing off the facts I know from you, Dad and Uncle was nearly fun."</em>
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  <em>"Nearly?" he asked, almost scoffing at her comment, "Were they not aghast when they realised that you knew everything there was to know about firebending and the history of the war?"</em>
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  <em>"Well, I don't know everything." she conceded, speaking quietly as she admitted it, "Not yet."</em>
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  <em>"You're pretty smart, Azula. I'm sure you'll learn all about those things." he noted, before crossing his arms, his expression suggesting he was a little suspicious, "So, why didn't you like it?"</em>
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  <em>"People are... well, they don't like me. I mean... no, they give me respect, but they don't want to be my friend." she admitted what she had realised, and he made a small pout, perhaps pitying her.</em>
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  <em>She turned away, "Urgh, I knew you'd do that." she growled, her cousin placing a hand on her shoulder.</em>
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  <em>"Hey, Zula, I just want to look out for you. Zuko and I had the same problem when we started school too, trust me." he assured her, making the Princess raise a brow.</em>
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  <em>"Zuzu too?" she mumbled, "Does he even have friends?"</em>
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  <em>"I don't know if he has any close friends." he admitted, "But he couldn't have any without trying. Getting friends isn't as easy as waiting for people to bow toward you and beg to be your friend. You're a Princess, not their master."</em>
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  <em>"Yeah, that's the teacher." she noted, before shaking her head, "So... I've got to do something. But what? Dad told me I needed to make allies... but I don't even know what he means. Do I have to find people to do my work for me?"</em>
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  <em>"No, that's plagiarism." he warned her, the Princess furrowing a brow.</em>
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  <em>"What's- oh, okay. So, does the Fire Lord do plagiarism?" she asked, making him snicker, before shaking his head.</em>
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  <em>"No, I mean schoolwork. If other people do your schoolwork for you, that's plagiarism." he explained, the Princess furrowing a brow.</em>
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  <em>"Uh okay." she nodded, before remembering what she had asked, "How do I make friends?"</em>
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  <em>"With effort." he simply put it, before raising a finger to his chin, "I mean, it's a little complicated. How about we sit down?" he suggested, and Azula nodded, stepping on over to her bed, and he sat down beside her.</em>
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  <em>"So, what's complicated?" she asked, wanting him to get on with it and reveal his secret knowledge.</em>
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  <em>"You need to find people who you can cooperate with. Friendship isn't about service and duty, like a child and their parent, or a soldier and his commander. You're meant to be equal... I mean, it might be hard because you're a Princess, but you've got to treat them like they're your equal."</em>
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  <em>"So... like Zuko?" she asked, unsure if Zuko really was her equal, given he was older, but then, she was a better firebender; her cousin just seemed amused by it, and let out a chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko's your brother, so you're expected to get along with him. You get to choose who your friends are." he explained, "So, you've got to find people you can like. What do you like in a person?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh... they do things for me." she gave the first thing that came to mind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, but remember what I said." he raised a finger, "If that's what you want, you need to do things for them too."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But I'm the Princess. That's dumb. They need to do things for me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Okay, okay. Are there other things you like about people?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That they're smart." she gave another thought, before pointing at him, "Like you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He chuckled a little before turning his gaze away, "I'm not that smart."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are!" she declared in defiance of his claim, "You know way more than me, or Zuzu. You know so many things, and you can firebend good too. You're like... what I want to be."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Aw, thanks." he smiled at her, seeming to appreciate her words, "So... you like people being smart. So, maybe you should look for people who show that they are witty and quick, like you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, that's a good one." she raised a finger to her chin, "I like... when they know how to talk to people."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, sociable people?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no, they can... make people believe them." she explained.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good liars?" he asked, the Princess shaking her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Not lying, just... what's the word?" she asked, unsure what she was trying to recall; it was a word she had heard her father use before, but only in passing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Persuading?" he asked, the Princess nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, yes! That's the one." she confirmed, "I want friends who can persuade for me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That would be helpful." he noted, "Persuading others can help you make more friends, if that's what you want."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I want them to like me." she declared, the Prince nodding.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, if you find people like that, then you'll have no problem, I'm sure of it."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Azula was relieved when she finally made sight of the coast, knowing that she had reached her destination; her Royal Barge awaited her, along with the utilities and luxuries she had onboard. Though it wasn't her main priority, she was looking forward to going to the spa, and getting a wash; she knew she would need it after her days away, and she was equally looking forward to enjoying a proper bed once again. She was also looking forward to getting closer to the Avatar, wherever he was, and giving him back his annoying Water Tribe friend; though she would admit that Sokka was no moron, he certainly was an infuriating person to talk to, primarily because of that wit he used so effectively to almost interrogate her.</p><p>She was in no way afraid of him from a martial perspective, given she was sure she could beat him in a fight, even without her bending, but that didn't mean that she could block out every word he uttered and ignore all the questions he sent her way. He was a whole lot less cryptic than her uncle, which she appreciated, given that specific aspect of Iroh's wisdom-giving was more than infuriating. He seemed to be just as happy about reaching the coast as she was, and she could tell that her guards were also relieved by their arrival, knowing that they could return to relaxing on the ship without the worry of Earth Kingdom soldiers or assassins attacking them. The Water Tribesman was probably glad he was closer to seeing his friends, and she was glad she would be getting rid of him.</p><p>"Finally." he smiled as they rode on down the hill towards the coast, now on the final stretch to the nearby navy base, which she could see smokestacks emanating from in the distance.</p><p>"Well, at least we haven't been attacked." one of her guards commented, "They must either be scared of us, or afraid without their tough leader."</p><p>"Sanyan is dead, and they're probably on the run now." Azula gave her opinion on the matter, "They probably realise that I'd kill them if I got my hands on them, so they're going to stay away."</p><p>She noticed that Sokka didn't comment on that, which she took as an indirect approval of her decision; killing her uncle's would-be assassins was something that she thought some people might take issue with, especially coming from another nation where they weren't as willing to sacrifice the lives of others for the greater good.</p><p>"That's smart of them." he simply noted, before narrowing his eyes, "They weren't smart to attack that camp, though."</p><p>"You can't begin to imagine how much they would have been paid." she warned him, knowing that her father had access to the royal treasury with which to pay the assassins.</p><p>"A lot." he guessed, "Enough to buy a big steel ship and turn into a palace." he suggested, making her raise a brow.</p><p>"Well, I already have one." she told him, the Water Tribesman pouting slightly.</p><p>"Rich people." he mumbled under his breath, before shaking his head, "So, is the cook on your ship any good?"</p><p>"You're not getting my food." she warned him, "You'll get the navy rations like everyone else." she stressed to Sokka, whose disenchanted expression only grew more sour.</p><p>"And I saved her life." he grumbled under his breath, the Princess scoffing before she raised a finger.</p><p>"And if you were stuck with the others, what would you be eating?"</p><p>"Whatever we could find." he explained rather simply, before grimacing, "Okay... I can see what you mean." he conceded, "Starving is something I'd like to avoid."</p><p>"Good, now shut up about it." she warned him, before whipping the reins of her mongoose lizard, prodding it to move quicker as they made their way down the road, winding down into some thin woodland, reminding her of the fight she had against Sanyan the first time.</p><p>She could tell that the Water Tribesman was thinking about the same thing by the distinctive shift in his expression; he was afraid of being in that situation again. Being a non-bender against someone like that would have been utterly terrifying, and Azula herself, though she refused to admit it, was afraid of the man her uncle had put an end to. She wished she could have done it herself, just to prove that her father's plan couldn't face up to her strength, but in the end, her lightning generation had faltered. Soon enough, she would try and work on her skills again, and hopefully, she would be able to make lightning again.</p><p>"That fight was scary." he admitted, after a long silence amongst the group.</p><p>"The first one?" one of the guards asked, before turning his head away, "Some of ours might still be in recovery on the ship."</p><p>Azula felt a shred of guilt, knowing that if she had had her abilities up to scratch, she would have been able to destroy Sanyan with a well-aimed lightning bolt to the chest; her men wouldn't have been injured, and she could have perhaps taken Aang back into her custody, and with it, avoided the present chase she was dealing with. She had no idea where the young Avatar was, but she was sure he couldn't be that far away; they wouldn't just abandon their friend- Aang just didn't seem like the kind of person to do that.</p><p>"I thought he was going to kill us." he admitted, "But you guys showed up. Thanks." he simply acknowledged the effort the guards made, which surprised her; he didn't like the Fire Nation, and he didn't seem to like them either, even if he was willing to converse with them.</p><p>"Did he just thank us?" one of her men asked, scoffing at the surprising response, "That's snow savages for you. The moment you're nice to them, they roll over like a dog."</p><p>"Heyǃ" he growled with frustration, "I'm just being honest. You guys saved us, there's no need to be a dick about it."</p><p>"You're the one who got yourself caught." one of them retorted, making the Princess roll her eyes.</p><p>"Stop arguing or I will start setting people's heads on fire." she demanded, the guards falling silent, as did Sokka, who shook his head, seeming annoyed that they were not respecting the thanks he gave them; she understood why they didn't, and agreed with their reasoning- the young warrior wasn't their friend, and they needed to stress that point.</p><p>He crossed his arms as sighed, before turning his attention ahead, "So, navy rations." he mumbled, "How do they taste?"</p><p>"Fine." one of the Imperial Firebenders replied after a few moments of awkward silence.</p><p>"Spicy?" he asked, making the Princess roll her eyes, having had enough of his questions about food specifically.</p><p>"Just shut up about the food." she demanded, "Just be glad you're being fed at all." she suggested, before glancing back up ahead; as they were drawing nearer to the navy base, she made sight of some men who were standing by on the road, guarding what seemed like a checkpoint.</p><p>They looked at her with confusion, and got out of her way as she neared them; they scanned the group, and obviously were paying attention to the fact they were riding mongoose lizards instead of driving in with her tank train.</p><p>"Uh, your highness. Your, uh, craft... has it been lost?"</p><p>"The assassin destroyed it." she clarified, before glancing up ahead, "Well, am I going to be allowed through?"</p><p>"Of course." the soldier assured her, "You and your men may go through with your... uh, prisoner."</p><p>"I'm not a-" Sokka began, the Princess raising her left hand up to hush him.</p><p>"We will." she simply replied to the soldier, before whipping the reins of her steed, which moved on forward with no delay.</p><p>The others continued to ride on after her as she made her way down the road, approaching the cleared land which surrounded the navy base, surrounded itself by a tall steel-plated wall, presumably to stop earthbenders from attacking it. She glanced up ahead past it, and could see the smoke from the engine of her ship, which must have been running to ensure that the heating and internal water pumps continued working; there was only one smokestack, indicating her ship was the only one at the port, though she wasn't expecting any others to show up. She assumed the navy would be preoccupied looking for the Avatar, whose sky-bison they might have been tracking from Kyoshi Island.</p><p>As they approached the base itself, she noted there were a few soldiers standing outside of it, and one of them seemed to be an officer, and a relatively high ranking one at that; he was speaking with a few men, and it took some time for her to realise that one of them was the helmsman of her ship. She didn't even know his name, simply referring to him as 'helmsman', but she recognised his face, with gray hair and a trimmed goatee and moustache. The soldiers' attention turned to the Princess as she approached the group, and their expressions shifted to ones of surprise; they seemed lost for words as she neared them, and saw that they were rather uneasy, though about what specifically, she couldn't be sure.</p><p>"Good morning." she addressed them, "I have returned to take my ship." she explained, "I have a prisoner with me, and will need to be leaving at once so I can track down the Avatar."</p><p>"Um, your highness." the highest ranking of the group stepped forward to address her, "You don't need to find the Avatar."</p><p>"Oh..." her eyes widened, before she glanced at Sokka for a moment, "Did he get caught?"</p><p>"No." he shook his head, before gesturing further along, past the base toward the dock, "He's on the deck of your ship, waiting for you."</p><p>"S-sorry, what?" the Water Tribe teen gasped, "He can't be that stupid."</p><p>"It's not stupid." Azula retorted, "He obviously understands we mean no harm toward him, or you." she argued, before placing her hands together, "This is good news... it makes this all a whole lot easier."</p><p>"Why... why would the Avatar come to you?" the officer asked her, "It's stupendous. He's an enemy of our nation."</p><p>She tensed up, realising that she'd have to inform them of what her uncle had decided, "No, no he isn't. The Fire Lord has decided the Avatar does not pose a threat to the Fire Nation anymore."</p><p>"Wh-what?" the officer gasped, "Are you- how?"</p><p>"How?" she raised a brow, "He is the Fire Lord. He decides what is right." she explained what she thought would be self-indicative for any person in the service of her nation's military, "Now, has the Avatar been taken captive... or are you just letting him sit there?"</p><p>"He hasn't attacked us... so we've just left him there. He didn't seem intent on leaving, so we decided to wait out for his next move." the officer explained, before gesturing in the direction of her Royal Barge, "There's a number of soldiers ready to face him if he tries to threaten us."</p><p>"Air Nomads are pacifists." she stressed, "There's no way that's going to happen, unless you attack him." she warned, before whipping the reins of her mongoose lizard, prodding it into moving further ahead.</p><p>She continued to ride along around the exterior of the base, before she finally made sight of her ship; on the deck was the Avatar's sky-bison, and she could hear the Water Tribesman behind her gasp; he must have been shocked by his friend's decision, as unlike him, he had no idea of Azula's intentions. The young Air Nomad was just lucky she was being ordered by her uncle to treat him as a friend and ally, something that she honestly preferred over the thought of actually having to fight him. She had heard what Sokka said about the young Avatar's abilities, and she was glad she wasn't going to have to deal with that, at least in the sense that she would avoid being the target of his practically divine powers.</p><p>They made their way to the dock, where she could see a few soldiers, obviously ready to face the Avatar, if need be, who moved out of her way, seemingly surprised by her return, and probably, the fashion in which had come back to the base. They didn't comment, simply letting her and her Imperial Firebenders move on past, down the pier toward the part of the ship where they would board; part of the vessel's hull was to open up, and allow the mongoose lizards inside. The Avatar must have made sight of them, because he jumped up into the air, using his glider to soar down toward them, before landing on the ground.</p><p>"Sokkaǃ" he grinned at his friend, "You're alright."</p><p>"Uh, yeah, I am." he confirmed, "Why did you come to her ship? That's just dangerous."</p><p>"Well, Katara and I didn't know where you were, and were going to ask Bumi for help to get you back, but we figured that Azula would take you captive, so we decided to fly back here and wait for you." he explained, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p>"You went back to Omashu?" she asked, the young Avatar nodding.</p><p>"Yeah, Bumi said you two talked."</p><p>"Not much." she retorted, crossing her arms, "As glad as I am not having to chase you down, I am a little confused why you thought it was a smart idea to come here. The Fire navy will know you're here, and now they'll come after you." she warned him, the young Avatar furrowing a brow.</p><p>"But your uncle is the Fire Lord, and he doesn't have an issue with me... that's what Bumi said." he clarified, placing his hands together, "So, we're all good now. I can go master the elements, and you can... uh, do whatever you like." he suggested, making her roll her eyes.</p><p>"So, he didn't mention the conspiracy against the Fire Lord that may encompass swathes of the Fire Nation military, and thus, pit much of them against you, the Avatar?" she asked him rhetorically, just wanting to emphasise the danger he was in.</p><p>"Oh." he mumbled, looking at her with wide eyes, before his expression became more nervous, "So... this wasn't a good idea."</p><p>"No, it wasn't." she confirmed, "However, it does give me the opportunity to tell you what I can do for you." she clarified, "Or rather, what you can do for the Fire Nation."</p><p>"Master the elements, yeah I've got it." he assured her, Azula rolling her eyes.</p><p>"Can you tell him plainly?" she asked Sokka, who cringed slightly, before turning to face his friend.</p><p>"We need to not get caught by the 'bad Fire Nation', so the 'good Fire Nation' can beat them with your help, once you are powerful enough." he explained, the young Avatar narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"We can't get caught. We've got Appa."</p><p>"What happened on Kyoshi Island would say otherwise." the Water Tribe teen warned him, "She caught you easily. If somebody with... less kind intentions decides to come after us... we're not going to have a fun time. Appa could get hurt, we all could get caught... and I'd rather prefer not to rely on her bailing us out."</p><p>"I don't want to do that either." she gave her opinion, before gesturing up toward the ship, "So, if you wouldn't mind, get on your sky-bison, and start flying to the North Pole." she suggested, though given her tone, the Avatar could just take it as a command.</p><p>"I- uh- I thought we were going to have tea." he mumbled, scratching the back of his scalp nervously.</p><p>She rolled her eyes, knowing that her strategy of trying to ease the Avatar into his captivity had perhaps backfired, now that he was presuming she'd just hand him out some tea, like he was an old friend showing up at her house demanding courtesy.</p><p>"Oh, he thought." she turned to Sokka, amused by his forwardness for just a moment, before she straightened her expression, "I'm not running a tea shop, Avatar." she chided him, before gesturing up to the deck, "Just get back to your sky-bison."</p><p>"I'm sorry about running away." he admitted, "I mean, I wanted to get away, but if I knew you weren't going to do anything bad to me... then I might have just stayed."</p><p>"Stayed?" the Water Tribesman scoffed at his words, "Katara was worried sick. Both of us thought she was torturing youǃ"</p><p>"I wasn't." Azula stressed, not wanting to be accused of something she definitely hadn't done.</p><p>"Yeah, I know that." he agreed with her, "But that's beside the point. We couldn't just let you be her prisoner."</p><p>"But aren't you Azula's prisoner?"</p><p>"No." he shook his head, "I helped kill the assassin for her, so I'm her guest." he clarified, making the young Avatar's eyes widen.</p><p>"The mind-explosion guy?"</p><p>"Yes." he confirmed, "Supposedly he was called Sanyan. The Fire Lord got him with a lightning bolt."</p><p>"Oh." he gasped, surprised by the turn of events, "I guess that's good news. So your Uncle is okay." he turned to Azula, who crossed her arms.</p><p>"Barely." she countered, "I'm surprised that he made it out of my tank-train alive." she explained, his eyes widening.</p><p>"You got attacked." he realised, before smiling, "At least everyone's alright."</p><p>"Some of my guards were injured. They're probably still recovering at back at camp, not to mention all the soldiers who were hit by those explosions." she explained the situation for what it was, the young Avatar grimacing.</p><p>"At least... at least you stopped him." he gave his conclusion, clearly uneased by the suggestion of what had happened; his empathy for the Fire Nation soldiers was something she found interesting, though she didn't focus on that, deciding to gesture ahead, knowing that she needed to get onboard her ship.</p><p>"I need to get these mongoose lizards onboard, so get out of the way." she demanded, and with that, the young Avatar unfurled his glider once more, leaping up into the air to glide away, flying back around to land on the deck of her ship.</p><p>She led the group along the dock, moving all the way to end of it, where the mechanised plank was to lower down; one of her guards whistled out to get the attention of the men working on the bridge, and a few moments later, she heard a cranking noise, which was followed by a hiss of steam as the hydraulics began to operate. The mechanical plank lowered down, revealing the storage hold of her ship, and she immediately rode on inside, prodding the creature so that it moved down through the hold toward the pens in which the creatures were kept. She set it down in its pen, before she grabbed her bag of personal belongings off of the saddle, and slung it over her shoulder, before she walked out of the pen, pulling the metal gate shut.</p><p>She glanced toward the animal for a moment, and wondered if it would even appreciate the rest, or simply be annoyed by sitting in darkness. She began to pace on out of the storage hold, striding past Sokka, who seemed a little confused about where to go.</p><p>"Just lead it into a pen and shut the gate afterwards." she explained what he had to do, and he nodded, understanding her directions.</p><p>She paced toward the other side of the hold, where there was a doorway leading into the lower part of the hull, where her servants had their quarters. Once she reached that part of the ship, it was as simple as finding the nearest staircase to climb up a higher deck; she scaled the stairs with haste, and quickly reached the highest deck of the ship, below the open deck where the Avatar's sky-bison was sitting. She glanced along the hallway, where a few engineers were standing, chatting amongst themselves, though they quickly realised her presence, and straightened their postures as she walked past them. They bowed to her in respect, not daring to address her as she bee-lined straight down the hallway toward the staircase that led to the top deck. When she reached the top deck, she was immediately swarmed by servants, who obviously were eager to fulfil their duties.</p><p>"Your highness, would you require your things to be taken to your quarters?" one of them asked, and she nodded, giving them the bag, before they hurried off.</p><p>"Tea, your highness?" another asked, and she narrowed her eyes at the Avatar and his Water Tribe friend, who were standing nearby, both looking his way.</p><p>"Make it quick." she decided, and the servant bowed to her, before making their way down the stairs she had just climbed, presumably to go to the kitchen to make some.</p><p>"Would you desire some lunch, your highness?"</p><p>"Have the cooks make something. I won't be eating at once." she clarified, before flicking her hand up, "Leave me." she demanded, and with that, all the servants moved away, understanding her desire to be left alone with the two foreigners standing on the deck, soon to be joined by another; that was as soon as he found his way up, which wouldn't be that hard, in her opinion.</p><p>"So..." the Water Tribe girl mumbled, glancing at Aang for a moment, before she eyed Azula, "My brother's alright?"</p><p>"I haven't harmed him... the only people who tried to were the assassins after my uncle's life." she explained, crossing her arms, "I assume you remember when we all fought them."</p><p>"I tossed a rock at some of them." she recalled, making Aang snicker.</p><p>"Maybe you'd be a better earthbender." he joked, the girl shaking her head.</p><p>"I don't believe we've been introduced." Azula admitted, "Though you obviously know who I am, you're Sokka's sister, Katara, correct?"</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, though her eyes were narrowed at her, seeming still suspicious of her intentions, "So, are you going to capture Aang again?"</p><p>"No." she clarified, "Though I'd prefer if he made it a little harder for himself to get caught. That'd make my job a whole lot easier."</p><p>"She doesn't want to catch me anymore." Aang assured his friend, before glancing her way, "But what do you want to do?"</p><p>"My uncle has ordered me to make sure you don't get caught by forces loyal to my father, and when the time comes, to teach you firebending."</p><p>"Sorry... teach him firebending?" Katara asked, sounding like she thought such a suggestion was crazy.</p><p>"I am not trying to make a joke." she retorted, "I have a far more refined sense of humour." she stressed, crossing her arms as she eyed the Avatar, "So, will you accept my offer?"</p><p>"Uh..." he mumbled, before glancing to his friend, who didn't seem pleased in the slightest, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt having a master already." he conceded, "Thank you for... well, coming back with Sokka."</p><p>"I don't want him in my hands any longer than he has to be." she assured him, "That boy doesn't know when to shut up."</p><p>"Heh." Katara snickered, before nodding, "Well, we can agree on that."</p><p>"So... why does your uncle want you to teach me firebending?" Aang asked, somewhat nervous in his tone, "I mean, you seem like you're a good firebender and all, but I'd expect somebody... uh, older."</p><p>"I am more than capable of teaching you what you need to know." she raised a finger, "Though, I have not tried to teach anyone firebending before, I am certain my knowledge will be of use to you."</p><p>"That's great!" he grinned at her, the Princess turning her head, considering whether she should tell him what her uncle had; she didn't know if that would give her his trust, or just make things weird between them- she knew things were weird already, as he'd been her half-prisoner, half-guest, who ran away from her the first chance he got.</p><p>"Are you sure you want her to be your master, Aang?" Katara asked him, "She did take you prisoner."</p><p>"But she wasn't mean about it. I got food, tea and could do pretty much anything I liked." he argued in the Princess's favour, making her smirk, realising she'd won him over, and there was nothing the Water Tribe girl could do about it.</p><p>"Do you have an issue with my offer, Katara?" she questioned, the girl's expression shifting from an uneasy to an annoyed one.</p><p>"Why does that matter? Aang's the one who gets to decide." she explained, the Princess raising a brow.</p><p> "I am not in the business of making you my enemy." she put it as she saw it, before she glanced back, hearing footsteps coming up the stairs.</p><p>"Whew, that was a lot of stairs." Sokka commented, though she doubted it was in any way directed to her, or anyone else for that matter; he turned to face them all, and scrunched his lips up, "Ah... so are you acquainting yourselves?" he asked, perhaps in jest toward his sister, who clenched her fists.</p><p>"Why'd you have to ask for tea?" she asked Aang, who simply smiled.</p><p>"The people on this ship make good tea, what can I say?" he defended himself with a giddy grin, and Sokka chuckled, obviously deducing what had happened.</p><p>"Oh, so she did decide to let us have tea." he realised, "Peer pressuring a powerful firebender doesn't sound like a good idea, Aang." he warned her, the Princess struggling to hold back a laugh at his astute comment.</p><p>"He's right sometimes." she conceded under her breath, before she glanced toward him, "Did you have any parting words for my guards?" she asked, making him look at her as if that were an unusual thing to ask.</p><p>"No." he flatly denied doing that, "They don't deserve my thanks if they're just going to act like dicks to me." he crossed his arms, making her scoff.</p><p>"Pride before courtesy." she noted, shaking her head as she realised he really did remind her of her brother, "Oh, how dignified." she offhandedly added, making him raise a brow.</p><p>"Hey, you're not too kind yourself, your highness." he warned her, before striding on over to his friends, "So, are we going to go after we have this tea?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah." he nodded, "I don't want anybody unfriendly getting a chance to sneak up on us." he noted, the Water Tribe warrior tensing up for a moment, before he turned to face Azula.</p><p>"What was it you said about... spies?" he asked, adding the last bit quietly, the Princess raising a finger to her lips.</p><p>"I will deal with that as soon as you leave." she assured him, "That letter is proof of the danger I face here." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes, remembering what Lo and Li had done to one of her airbending scrolls, "There's precedent for that assumption."</p><p>"Spies?" Aang asked, "Working for who?"</p><p>"I'll let you take a guess on that one." she simply responded, not wanting to have a conversation about her father's treachery and clear intentions to deal with any opposition; she couldn't incriminate herself in his eyes, at least not yet, while she still was unsure how much sway he held over the navy.</p><p>"Things aren't how I expected them to be." Sokka admitted, glancing toward the Princess with a suspicious glance, "How are you going to stop him?"</p><p>"I'm not going to do that." Azula spoke up, "Starting a civil war is not in my self-interest." she clarified, stepping closer to the group, "Stopping those who seek to destroy and sow chaos is the responsibility of the Avatar."</p><p>"So what has the Fire Nation been doing for the past hundred years?"</p><p>"I'm not going to defend the actions of those who came before me." she put her intentions simply, "I serve the Fire Lord, and I will serve my nation by serving him. That means I will do what he believes is right."</p><p>"And can we trust the Fire Lord?" the Water Tribe girl asked the question she had seen coming, and though she wanted to defend her uncle's dignity, it seemed that the only other person present who had met him was more than willing to do so.</p><p>"I'd say definitely." Sokka spoke in her favour, before stepping closer to the other two, "Take it this way: do you trust the man who has said he wants to end the war and bring a new age of peace between the Four Nations, or the man who tried to have his own son killed?"</p><p>"His-" Katara began, her eyes widening with shock, "What are you talking about?"</p><p>"My brother has been snooping around, keeping an eye on my father's dealings. It seems that he got a little too much information, and Father had to tie up loose ends." Azula explained what she assumed had occurred, which was mostly deduction, but she had good reason to believe that was why Ozai had tried to have Zuko and Mai killed.</p><p>Aang and Katara's expressions shifted to ones of horror, and they looked toward each other, seeming lost for words; the Princess sighed, knowing that was probably not the best thing to reveal, given that not everyone knew her father. Though she couldn't say she was comfortable about that news when she received it, she certainly understood that it was within belief; her father had never been kind, and from what she understood, took little care for human life, especially when people stood in the way of his intentions. That was why she even considered believing her uncle when he said he had sent assassins after him.</p><p>"My family is terrible." she simply put it, before revealing the reason they hadn't even left yet, "So, you wanted tea?" she asked them, Aang's eyes moving to meet her own.</p><p>"Uh... yeah, tea." he nodded, nervously placing his hands together, probably just trying to reason with what she'd told him.</p><p>"I'd assume it's jasmine tea, seeing that's what I usually request." she noted, turning around to place her hands behind her back, "What kind of tea do you like?"</p><p>"Wh-what kind of question is that?" Katara gasped, sounding confused; perhaps she didn't understand she didn't want to loom over the fact her father was, for lack of a better word, evil.</p><p>"A question." she stressed, "I know that the Air Nomads drank tea, but seeing that there was no longer any evidence of their leaves, I couldn't discern what they drank."</p><p>"Uh... just green tea." Aang clarified, "It's simple." he explained, the Princess sighing as she considered, just for a moment, how lost she felt, with no real sense of what she was doing.</p><p>Making friends with the Avatar was completely insane to her, but yet, that was what she was doing; she had to do things to win, but everything had changed, all because she had actually succeeded, and found somebody who had disappeared for a century.</p><p>"If only handling this situation was as simple as boiling a pot of dried leaves."</p><hr/><p>Running a brush through her hair, Mai looked at her appearance in the mirror before her; she hadn't taken much care for her appearance when she had been hiding in the capital, nor when she was working on a freight ship, but now, she felt a little self-conscious, knowing that she could afford to actually clean up her appearance. So, she did just that, having already washed her hair and body, cleaning off any dirt and dust that had been on her, before she laid out her now clean clothes. Seeing that Piandao only had Fat to do work around his estate, and his profession was that of a cook, she was forced to clean it herself.</p><p>She remembered what her mother had told her about cleaning clothes, and the fabric didn't feel terrible to touch, so she was sure she had done something right. That thought of her mother made her mind turn to her family, for just a moment, wondering what they might have been thinking. If Ozai was claiming they were dead, then she could only imagine how distraught her mother and father were, just thinking she was going on vacation with Zuko. In hindsight, she had in a way, gone on a trip with the Prince, though not out of any volition on their behalf; they had to escape, and now, they seemed to be in relative safety.</p><p>Mai knew that the fear her family was feeling certainly would outweigh the unease she felt inhabiting the house of a virtual stranger; she guessed her brother mightn't have a clue what was going on, given how young he was, while her mother and father would likely believe Ozai's lies. She didn't think they were fools, but she believed that Zuko's father was more than intelligent enough to formulate a cover-up that was believable down to the finest details. Imagining what Azula could do was her best comparison, and though she doubted her friend would ever try to harm her in the way her father had, her wit and strategic genius were undeniable, even if she hadn't seen much of it in action yet. Zuko, on the other hand, was probably a better comparison for the temperament of Prince Ozai; he was always looking over his shoulder, ready to fight and do insane things for what he believed was right.</p><p>She could only sit in her room, brushing her hair, for so long, and decided to, once it felt sufficiently straightened, to tie it up into the usual bun; she felt that her appearance was a little odd, stemming from the fact her robes were far more tight fitting that what she usually preferred. Of course, it was practical if she was going to be doing any work at Piandao's estate, just as she had been doing on the ship, so she didn't mind it that much. She still had her knives fastened to her belt and her stilettos under the sleeves of her shirt. Once she had done her hair, she rose up to her feet, and turned around, wondering if she ought to head to Zuko and Piandao immediately, or if she should just go train. She knew that doing the latter would keep her mind off the more concerning things that were dominating it since the assassination attempt.</p><p>She decided that, just as a precaution, she ought to meet with the two of them, sure that Master Piandao had something in mind; he seemed to be quite a well-learned and intelligent man, who knew much of the situation that was presently going on, presumably because he was in direct contact with the Fire Lord, at least before the assassins attacked him, and he went missing. They had yet to learn of the Fire Lord's condition, though that was something she was sure would come up sooner or later; she trusted that, if Ozai was being wholly truthful about Azula's actions when he spoke to Zuko last, that the Princess would have already found her uncle. The more chilling possibility was that the Fire Lord was actually dead, and that would make his brother's actions all the more dangerous, given he would be the Fire Lord in that situation.</p><p>Mai shook her head, knowing that getting worried about such things would be pointless, given she lacked the knowledge to make a judgement on the state of the Fire Lord; she instead decided to leave the quarters she had been granted, pushing the door open before she glanced down the hallway. She knew she shouldn't be suspicious, but after all they had been through, she couldn't help it. She moved down the hallway at once, sure that Zuko was probably waiting for her; he seemed to like and appreciate her advice, and although she didn't want to think so highly of herself, she would prefer to be there for any decision-making.</p><p>When she reached the main hallway that led through the upper floor of the house, she made sight of the staircase, and could hear voices in the distance; she couldn't hear what was being said, but it gave her a good indication that Piandao and Zuko were out by the edge of the garden, behind the manor. She made her way to the stairs, and darted down them with haste; she could hear footsteps nearby, and glanced around to see that Fat was coming from the dining room.</p><p>"Good evening, Lady Mai." he addressed her, "Were you looking for Master Piandao and the Prince?"</p><p>"They're outside, right?" she asked, and the butler nodded, confirming her suspicions.</p><p>"That they are." he replied, gesturing toward the rear of the manor, "Did you have any requests for dinner?"</p><p>"No." she shook her head, "Did you need any help preparing it?" she asked, the butler's eyes widening.</p><p>"Help?" he asked, surprised by her suggestion, "I'd... well, you're our guest." he seemed to refuse her offer, Mai narrowing her eyes; she didn't want to force herself into his kitchen, but she didn't want to take an unfair advantage of Piandao and Fat's hospitality, especially given they weren't intending to leave soon.</p><p>"I think we're going to be here longer than a night." she admitted bluntly, stepping closer to the butler, "I don't think it would be fair to abuse your hospitality."</p><p>"That is quite kind of you, Lady Mai." he bowed toward her in respect, "I might have some use with some extra hands in the kitchen. I haven't started preparing the meal yet." he clarified, "I will tell you when I am."</p><p>She nodded, expressing her comprehension, before she paced on down the hallway, making her way in the direction the butler had gestured; the voices grew louder as she approached rear door of the house, and she pushed it open, before glancing around, making sight of Piandao and Zuko, the two of them sitting by a small table on some cushions, with a pot of tea between them. The Prince, being able to see her from the angle where he was sitting, glanced up toward her, and made a small smile; unlike her, he was more than willing to express his happiness when he did feel good, and that made her feel a little more sure of herself. He was the paranoid one of the pair, so when he wasn't being paranoid, she could be sure that they were in relative safety.</p><p>The sword-master turned around, realising that the Prince had been looking at someone, and he gestured for her to approach, "Lady Mai, I'm glad you have come to join us." he addressed her, and with that, she strode over them, sitting on another cushion, placing herself between the pair, looking away from the afternoon sun.</p><p>"I see you've cleaned up." he noted, "I hope that the facilities here were sufficient. It's not every day that we have two dust-laden travellers show up at this place."</p><p>"You had hot water and scrubs; that was more than enough." she explained, assuring him that he had provided all that he needed to, before eyeing the teapot; Zuko didn't have to ask her, and immediately picked it up, and poured her a cup, before clearing his throat.</p><p>"Uh, so, Piandao and I have been talking about what we know about the present situation with my father's conspiracy." he explained, his dry, uneased tone telling her that it wasn't good news they were about to give her.</p><p>"There are connections associates of mine have made in the Fire Nation Capital. Meetings between high-ranking officers in the army and navy occurring away from the Royal Palace." he explained, "That was why they were able to observe what they did." he clarified, Mai raising a brow as she remembered what had happened with Zuko and the assassination attempt.</p><p>"Were they there that day?" she asked, the Master shaking his head.</p><p>"No, but they did witness the aftermath. I didn't understand that it had to do with the Prince until he explained to me what happened." he acknowledged, "They simply believed some accident had occurred, or perhaps, it had something to do with those officers. I presume that those men were the ones that Zuko saw meeting at the hideout he told me about."</p><p>"That makes sense." she nodded, "They obviously must be continuing their scheming." she added her own judgement, "Did your associates actually gather any information?"</p><p>"It was all very vague. Again, I hadn't put much thought into all of this until Zuko explained things to me. Something to do with factories, operated by the military, I assume."</p><p>"Maybe it has to do with War Minister Qin's war machines." the Prince suggested, "Those haven't been formally introduced into the army from what I understand. Keeping them secret might be part of my father's plans to try and... well, I'm unsure exactly what his plans are now. If Uncle's alive, there's no way he will be able to remain Interim Fire Lord for much longer."</p><p>"My associates have connections in the palace, and there's been no news from there either." Piandao explained, "I assume that once your Uncle returns to civilisation, he might be able to direct his own personal attendants to deal with whatever they can in the palace. Until then, they won't reasonably do anything; they obviously won't have any knowledge of the reasons behind the assassination attempt."</p><p>"If nobody knows anything, then my father will seem innocent, and people will continue to follow his orders." Zuko concluded, sighing as he picked up his teacup, "What can we do about that?" he asked, Mai furrowing a brow for a moment as she considered his point.</p><p>"What could we do that might put doubt in his authority without sparking a direct confrontation?" she refined his question, Piandao raising a finger to his chin.</p><p>"That's a good question." he conceded, "There's little we could say to directly evidence Ozai's involvement in the assassination attempts without him finding out about it."</p><p>"We don't need anyone to learn about that for people to distrust him." Zuko suggested, "He's always said that a leader needs to always act with resolve and unwavering determination to be worthy of his position. So... if he doesn't seem worthy, perhaps even his own supporters wouldn't trust him to enact whatever plans he has."</p><p>"I don't know how we could do that." Piandao admitted, before he narrowed his eyes, "You could send out messages claiming that... you were assassinated, and claim to be the perpetrator. If people think Ozai couldn't protect his own heir, then he'd be seen as foolish at best and incompetent at worst."</p><p>"People might sympathise with him instead... and the ministers might just let him go to any ends 'to find the perpetrators'." Zuko countered that idea, "Though, making him look incompetent does sound like a good idea, I feel like that could backfire."</p><p>"Good point, Zuko." the sword-master agreed with him,  "So... what do you think could be done to undermine his plot?"</p><p>"Getting the names and locations of those officers." Mai suggested, making both of them turn to face her, "The most effective way to stop them from backing Ozai's plot would be intimidation... or removing them from the equation entirely."</p><p>"You want us to go hunt down my father's supporters?" the Prince asked her, sounding shocked by such a suggestion, "That... that could be dangerous. These are high-ranking officers we're talking about. They have guards and whole divisions under their command."</p><p>"I know what you got up to with that mask, Zuko." she reminded him, "You could do it again. We are both capable of sneaking around... as long as we know who to target."</p><p>"And... remember, Prince Zuko, these people would have committed treason by supporting this plot." Piandao spoke up, "Once your uncle returns to the fold, you might be able to receive his express authority to hunt down these people... in case you run into complications. The common soldier of the Fire Nation holds the greatest amount of respect for the Dragon of the West. I have met many men, veterans and serving, all speaking of the same high respect for him, before he even became the Fire Lord."</p><p>"I know I can do it." the Prince admitted, before shaking his head, "But it just seems... too risky."</p><p>"Since when were you afraid of risks?" Mai asked him, and his eyes turned to meet her own.</p><p>"Since I nearly died." he bluntly put it, "I don't want to lead you into a situation like that, Mai."</p><p>"You do realise I have my own free will, right? I can choose to do this."</p><p>"You shouldn't have to. This is about me and my father." he explained, making her roll her eyes; she knew he had good intentions, but he was trying to excuse her from doing something that only she could decide to do or not.</p><p>"I am a citizen of the Fire Nation and a subject of the Fire Lord." she stressed, "I don't take treason lightly, and what's been going on, is against the principles of law and process. If your father had fought your uncle in an Agni Kai and won... neither of us could have disputed it, but things... things aren't that simple." she explained, raising her teacup up as she sniffed the aromatic liquid, "I won't let you do this alone, Zuko."</p><p>She sipped from the cup, and he looked at her blankly, as if he was undecided on what to say to that; he turned to Piandao, and cringed slightly, "Master... you know my uncle. What do you think he would want me to do?"</p><p>"The Dragon of the West is a wise man. I can't imagine the advice he'd give on this issue, but I know he'd want you to choose for yourself, Prince Zuko." he explained his thoughts on the matter, before turning to face Mai, "Your resolve is admirable, Lady Mai. I am glad that you of all people have accompanied the Prince."</p><p>"Well, it's better me than his sister. They'd just fight constantly." she quipped in return, making the Prince cringe.</p><p>"Y-yeah, we would." he agreed with her sharp critique of their relationship, "I'm glad you're here too." he added quietly, Mai straightening her expression forcefully, not wanting to get embarrassed by his touching comment.</p><p>"So, are you going to do it?"</p><p>He glanced down, and sighed, before giving a resolute nod, "I will do it." he agreed, "Once we have those names and some locations, we could infiltrate them, and... deal with the traitors." he explained, his vague wording not telling her whether he was willing to kill them or not.</p><p>She didn't expect him to be a cold-blooded killer, because it just wasn't in his nature; he respected human life, and obviously thought that just killing those people who had made themselves their enemies by joining Ozai's plot might be overkill, if not morally abhorrent, given that other than the people who had attacked them and Iroh, there was really no murderous intent, at least toward them, or the general populace of the Fire Nation.</p><p>"There's just something I have to do first." he explained, turning to face Piandao, "Do you have any scrolls on advanced firebending theory?"</p><p>"Uh... I do have them... though, they're locked away in my library... as a non-bender, I don't take much interest in reading them for practical use." he explained to Zuko, who nodded, rising up to his feet.</p><p>"There was just one technique that I needed to learn from Master Longchi before all this happened." he admitted, "The cold-blooded fire."</p><p>"Lightning generation." the sword-master gave the more straightforward name for what he was referring to, "That's a challenging technique. Not many firebenders can achieve it, let alone master the technique."</p><p>Mai tensed up, wondering what Zuko might be able to do with such a technique; though he wasn't as ruthless and violent as his sister, there was no doubt that he'd use the the technique when he needed to. If the only thing standing between them and survival was his firebending, then she would be more confident if he had such a powerful technique under his belt; part of her didn't want him to try and learn something that seemed so inherently dangerous, but they were surrounded by danger, so such an argument made little sense anymore.</p><p>"If my sister can do it, so can I, and unlike her, I have an actual reason to use it."</p><p>"Against who?" she dared to ask, and the Prince's expression became cold.</p><p>"Whoever thinks they can betray our nation and get away with it."</p><hr/><p>Ty Lee was sure she needed a distraction from what she had learned in her latest letter from Mai; not thinking about the state her friend might be in was the biggest challenge she had faced in quite some time. The dread of considering who was going after her and Zuko, and where they were at that very moment dominated her mind; so, when one of her friends, Wei, suggested that she join the rest of their group of ragtag performers in what she guessed was going to be a night of games and fun she accepted without a second thought. Though she knew she ought to be focusing on what to do, and if she ought to wait for Azula, or to seek her out, she was sure that one night of revelry couldn't be that bad.</p><p>So, when she sat down with her friends, she waited intently to find out what they were going to do; fire flakes were handed out, and she ate them, finding the spicy treats just by themselves to be a good distraction, making her salivate. She wiped her lips, and eyed the others, unsure what exactly was going to happen first; Wei stood up, and held the bag of fire flakes in her hand, showing them off for everyone to see.</p><p>"So... does everyone here like fire flakes?" she asked the group, who all nodded along, Ty Lee included, "Well, after eating those, you're probably pretty thirsty, right?" she asked, everyone nodding once more; the acrobat knew she'd need a drink of water, but was annoyed to realise she hadn't bothered bringing one alone, "So, I say the first person to get to the creek on the edge of the circus grounds and drink from it gets the whole bag."</p><p>Ty Lee licked her lips, and eyed the others, who seemed to think that was a reasonable proposal, though, one of the performers present, Zuting, didn't seem to approve, "Creek water?" she asked Wei, "You can't be serious."</p><p>"Well, do you want the fire flakes or what?" she asked her, the other performers rising to their feet.</p><p>"When do we start?" Su asked her, and she smirked, raising her left hand up, ready to snap her fingers; Ty Lee tensed up, and eyed the other performers, knowing that she would have to choose some targets if she were to win the race.</p><p>Of those that were present, Su, a stunt climber, and Huo, a fire-stick juggler, were undeniably the fastest, and she knew she might have to chi-block them if she wanted to win the race; when Wei snapped her fingers, she immediately ran off in the direction of the stream, racing past a few of the other performers, eyeing the two she knew would be the other contenders. Su, knowing her skills, was keeping his distance, so she elected to try and hit Huo first as the wound around the exterior of the main tent of the circus. She weaved under Ty Lee's hand as she flicked it toward her, and tried to, in turn, trip her with her left leg. The attempt was no match for the acrobat, who leapt right over her leg before she jabbed her in the side, blocking the chi-paths that led down that leg. The other performer stumbled over, landing nearly flat on the ground, and with a smirk on her face, Ty Lee raced ahead, confident she could continue on and win the race.</p><p>She weaved past more tents as she reached the other side of the main one, and could hear footsteps ahead of her; she began to jump over a number of ropes that held tents down, taking a shorter path that she was sure the others wouldn't dare to. She could hear some shouts behind her, and eyed toward the end of the gap, where a path laid ready for her to take. When she reached it, she saw a few more people ahead of her, and chased after them, deciding that she'd have to find some way to either get in front of them or slow them down.</p><p>She noted that one of the wagons that was used to winch and lift rates into other wagons was sitting right ahead of her, and Ty Lee smirked, knowing that the rope would be the perfect tool to get her ahead. She raced toward a wooden plank that gave her a path up onto the wagon, and ran up it before she leapt toward the rope, grabbing it with both hands before she forced the crane to turn with her weight, allowing Ty Lee to be flung above the other performers, before she somersaulted mid-air and landed in front of them; note wanting her to fall on them, every single of them stopped running, giving her the perfect opportunity to race on ahead toward the edge of the camp.</p><p>"Show-off!" she heard Mung chide her, making the acrobat giggle as she knew she was close to victory.</p><p>She could only see two more performers ahead of her; Su was at the front, while Ban, one of the circus' animal trainers, was just behind him. She realised she had a golden opportunity with the two of them so close together, so she ran up behind Su and tapped him on the shoulder. Since he'd experienced her chi-blocking before, he overreacted to the tap, and turned himself around to try and avoid getting chi-blocked, though in the process, he slammed into Ban, and the two of them fell on top of each other. She jumped over the two of them, before landing in front of them; she eyed them both for a moment, and saw the exasperated, and clearly annoyed looks on both their faces.</p><p>"Better luck next time, boys." she prodded them with a little comment, before she raced toward the stream, which she could already hear in the distance.</p><p>Though she heard grumbles and shouts behind her, she felt more than confident in her victory; she saw the riverbank ahead of her, she sped up momentarily before leaping into the air. She jumped over the edge of the bank, and then, after a few moments of weightless falling, she landed on the bank, skidding down it to reach the water's edge. Without further delay, Ty Lee threw her upper body down into the water, filling her mouth with it; though it tasted like dirt, she wanted to win the race, so she swallowed it before flicking her head back out of the water, kneeling there as she waited for the others.</p><p>"Damn it, Ty Lee already got here." she heard Su grumble as he reached the edge of the bank, soon joined by the other performers who had joined in the race; soon after they all arrived, Wei stepped out, and looked at the acrobat with a bemused expression.</p><p>"Well, I didn't know you liked river-water that much, Ty." she joked, making her roll her eyes, before she raised her hands up.</p><p>"Give me those fire flakes." she requested, and the other girl complied, tossing her the bag of fire flakes, which she caught with both her hands, before sniffing them, glad she got the whole bag to herself.</p><p>She then made her way back up the bank of the stream, noting that the others were pacing back towards the circus, seemingly disenchanted by their failure; Wei remained there, waiting for her, seeming impressed by her athleticism.</p><p>"That was pretty good, Ty Lee." she conceded, before glancing back in the direction of the circus, "Do you think you're up for some truth or dare?"</p><p>"I always win the dares." she declared, "I'm ready... but I've just got to eat these fire flakes first, and find some water to drink that doesn't taste like dirt." she clarified, making the other girl snicker.</p><p>"Yep, that's what I expected. Nobody thought to bring water to the campfire." she noted, crossing her arms, "Well, now they'll think twice."</p><p>"Maybe they'll bring their own fire flakes." she contended, before she paced toward the tents that surrounded the circus, "I'll be back at the campfire in a minute." she explained herself, before turning to the left, heading in the direction of her own tent.</p><p>It sat off to the side, near the front of the circus grounds, where she could see the nearby town that they had set up the circus by; shows were already done for the day, so she wasn't worried about getting ready for any shows, only the thought of the letter present in her mind. Mai probably didn't want to cause her panic, but hearing about her and Zuko nearly getting killed was scary enough; she had told her what she knew about the plot against the Fire Lord, which seemed to be only becoming more of a threat to their nation.</p><p>She knew that out in the colonies, she was as far from any potential conflict as she could be, but she was sure that if something really did happen, and the Fire Lord declared his brother a traitor, which would be completely reasonable, seeing what he had done, then it was only a matter time before sides were chosen, and the Fire Nation was torn apart. She knew she had to get her thoughts about the letter off her mind, so she took a bite from the bag of fire flakes, and appreciated the hot taste on her tongue. Ty Lee thought they tasted pretty good, but even then, she would need some water to wash out her mouth if she was going to eat a whole bag. Wei's race was a little funny, but seeing that she had made herself the butt of the joke by drinking the dirty stream water, she wasn't really amused.</p><p>When she reached her tent, she parted the canvas to glance on in; her handle was unlit, after she had left it earlier, and she narrowed her eyes, trying to recall exactly where she had left her flask of water. She knelt down beside her stretcher, and felt around, before she grasped something hard and cold, which had to be the metal flask; she picked it up and shook it, making the expected swishing noise. She then twisted up the knob on the top of the flask, popping it off, before she took a swig from it. The cool, untainted liquid refreshed her, and she let out a little sigh, glad she had found the water.</p><p>Ty Lee turned her head around when she heard the sudden sound of a shout, and she raised a brow, hoping that nobody had gotten into a fight; she knew that people could get a little competitive when it came to campfire games, and that wasn't helped by the alcohol that some of them would drink. As she was too young for that, she never got to experience what she guessed was a dazed, disoriented fun-time that some like to engross themselves in. She put the knob back on the flask, knowing she ought to take it with her, and took the fire flakes in her other hand.</p><p>When she stepped out of the tent, she heard another shout nearby, and this time, it sounded more frantic; she sniffed for a moment, noting the smell of smoke. She wouldn't have been concerned in the slightest if she was closer to the campfire, but she was so far away that it made no sense she could smell it. She turned around and noted that there was smoke billowing out of the main tent of the circus, and her eyes widened.</p><p>"What the... what's going on?" she mumbled to herself, before she wondered whether she ought to investigate the smoke; her paranoia was growing as she considered the potential reasons why the tent might be on fire.</p><p>She hoped it was just an accident, but Ty Lee had received that letter from Mai, and it told her that the conspiracy they were dealing with was wide-reaching and well-equipped. The idea that they could have found her was shocking, but it wasn't unbelievable. She turned back around, and parted the canvas of her tent, putting the fire flakes and water flask down; she knew the danger she might be in, but knew that protecting the circus was something she ought to do, if it really was in danger. Fires didn't start from nothing, and though she could believe one of the firebender performers had accidentally started the fire, she knew that they would have stamped it out before it became noticeable.</p><p>She stepped back out of her tent and immediately moved in the direction of the main tent, noting more shouts in the distance, though she couldn't tell what exactly was being said without getting closer. She began to hasten herself, and the first thing she made out was the voice of Shuzumu, the ringleader and owner of the circus, crying out with fear.</p><p>"Please, stop!" he shouted out, and a moment later she heard the distinctive sound of a fire stream being created, and she could see the light from it emanating up above the tents between her and the main tent.</p><p>She ran as fast as she could, and when she finally reached the spot she had heard Shuzumu's voice from, she spotted the ringleader lying on the ground, with a burn mark on his robes, trying to pat out the flames that were left on it. She glanced towards the people who had attacked him, and noted that they were all men, dressed in dark robes, with flames in their hands, ready to attack them. She could see that Su, Mung and the other strongmen were trying to attack them, but were failing to stop their swift bending attacks.</p><p>"Ty Lee..." Shuzumu groaned, and she turned to face him, offering the ringleader a hand as he rolled over, trying to get rid of those last embers on his clothes; he accepted it, and she pulled him back up to his feet.</p><p>"Get out of the way. I'll handle this." she assured him, the ringleader nodding before he ran back into the main tent, and she hoped that if he got the attention of the other circus performers that they could douse the flames.</p><p>Ty Lee then narrowed her eyes at the group of attackers, and decided to whistle, knowing that with her skills, she could probably stop them. The sound got their attention, and they turned around, taking form as she ran at them, weaving under the fire streams they sent her way, setting light to the tents behind her, before she reached the closest of the men, jabbing him in the gut and forcing him down to his knees. One of his comrades flung out a fire whip, striking her in the back and making her grunt as she flinched forward; she somersaulted onto the ground, landing right in front of the others, who seemed surprised to see her.</p><p>"Oh, good. Somebody who can fight." Mung acknowledged her presence, before pointing at the men, "You're done for now!" he declared, Ty Lee spinning around as she took a new stance, ready to jab them and weave around whatever attacks they had planned for her.</p><p>The men who were still standing moved to throw fireballs her way, charging them in their right palms, and she ran forward, striking the chi-paths of two men and making their legs give way; they fell down onto their faces, and the other men turned around to aim their attacks, while the strongmen charged at them, ready to tackle them while they were distracted. She jumped out of the way of their attacks, before she watched with a humoured face as they were thrown down to the ground, and Ty Lee smirked. Suddenly, she heard the sound of another fire stream, and immediately ducked down, realising that more men were coming from behind her; she knew she could take them on, especially with the muscle of the strongmen, but her confidence was shattered when she heard the words she wished she hadn't.</p><p>"That's the chi-blocker! That's her!" she heard one of the enemies accuse, and her eyes widened, knowing that her worst fears were true; they had to be there because of Ozai, and because of what she knew.</p><p>With no other option, she immediately darted to her right, taking cover behind the tents, which were quickly set alight by the men pursuing her; the heat around her grew more intense by the second, as did the weight of the smoke in the air, and she found it harder and harder to breathe as she tried her best to sprint back in the direction of her tent. There was one thing she couldn't let them burn, and that was her letters; it was the evidence she had, the evidence she was sure Azula would need if she was already on their side. She had to be, because if she wasn't, they were all doomed.</p><p>Ty Lee ran as fast as she could and jumped over ropes once more, just as she had done during the race, except this time, she was intent on getting to her tent, not to go drink some dirty river water. She heard a fire stream approaching her, and she dropped down to her knees, narrowly dodging the attack, which set the tent in front of her on fire. She was forced to turn left to make her way around it as the hot flames began to consume it; she coughed from the inhalation of smoke, and covered once again, now behind another tent, which just like the last was struck by fireballs and set alight.</p><p>She broke back into a sprint, and made sight of her tent once more, immediately leaping through the opening of the canvas; the light from the flames now lit up the interior dimly, and she opened the crate where she had her scrolls, pulling them out and fastening them to her waistband. She dropped down to the ground as a fire stream struck her tent, setting the canvas above her alight. She fumbled her hands around, grabbing the flask of water she had drunk from before, popped it open, and then tossed the contents up above her, putting out the flames and covering herself with water in the process. The canvas broke apart above her, and the light of flames from burning tents surrounded her in all directions.</p><p>She immediately rose up to her feet, and glanced around, trying to find a path out of the flames; she saw the light of another fire stream coming her way, and she ducked down once more. Embers fell down into her tent, setting some of the things alight, and she forced her chest shut to make sure nothing else inside was harmed by the flames. Without further delay she dashed out of her tent, and ran in the direction of a part of the encampment she saw that wasn't on fire.</p><p>She got out of the flames, but was forced to duck down once again as fireballs were flung her way. She suddenly saw more flames, but they were going in the opposite direction, she turned around, and realised that Huo was behind her, bending the flames of the burning tents toward her attackers. After she had chi-blocked her, she didn't expect she'd go out of her way to help her; she obviously was worried about the situation, and gestured the way Ty Lee had been heading, which ultimately was in the direction of the nearby town.</p><p>"Ty Lee, get out of here! she pleaded of her, "These people are after you, right?" she asked, the acrobat nodding; she was certain of that, and she didn't want the other people working at the circus to suffer because of her lack of action- if she had left the circus as soon as she received Mai's second letter, she could have prevented what was happening at that very moment.</p><p>"Thank you." she simply nodded at the other performer, who seemed to understand that something more complex was going on that just some ruffians or arsonists attacking the circus.</p><p>She began to run on out of the circus's grounds, and she didn't stop when she reached the edge; she only had her scrolls, with no money, no other clothes, no water. All she had was what was the clothes on her body and the information she needed to help her friends. She couldn't fail Mai, because she knew if the roles were reversed, her friend wouldn't just give up and hide. She would do everything in her power to help her, because that was what a friend had to do. Azula, on the other hand, would probably go and hunt down her attackers, but Ty Lee did not feel as vengeful as she would, let alone confident enough to face dozens of firebenders at once. All she knew was that she had to run, and that her time at the circus, was, for all intents and purposes, over. Ty Lee needed to find her friend, and if she didn't, then the Fire Nation might face a fate far worse than losing the Hundred Years War; it wasn't just her safety at stake, but Mai's, Zuko's, Azula's, along with the rest of her country's safety, the people of which were probably all unaware how close they were to slipping off the cliff that was a civil war.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. A Duty Of Care</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Ty Lee decided that school was even worse than home, despite how much she had been looking forward to it, knowing that learning new things and meeting new people would be fun; it was bad enough when her parents confused her for one of her sisters, but now, nobody could recall her name or knew who she was, other than her six identical sisters, who she didn't want to hang around anyway. They were fun to play with at times, but out in the schoolyard, she wanted to make friends with other girls.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So, when she reluctantly accepted Ty Lin's offer that they all play together, she decided that she would play something that she knew was good at- cartwheeling. The challenge was to do as many as they could until they fell over; though her sisters were confident in their own skills, she had spent long summer afternoons in their garden doing nothing but practicing her cartwheels. When it came down to it, Ty Lat and Ty Liu could only get two done before they fell over, Ty Lum, Ty Lao and Ty Lat three, Ty Woo four, and her, finally, getting a total of six. As the sisters had gathered much attention from doing this, she was rather proud of herself in achieving her victory, standing with hands on hips as the crowd of girls cheered her on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wow!" one of them exclaimed, "I can't believe she did six!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That was amazing!" another grinned at her, "What's your name?" she asked, Ty Lee now sure they'd remember it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ty Lee, master of cartwheeling." she entitled herself, much to the distaste of Ty Woo, who was clearly not happy with all the attention she was getting.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Show off." she growled under her breath, Ty Lee smirking at her sister.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm good." she retorted, before turning back to face the other girls, "Do you wanna see how to do it?" she asked them, and they all looked rather excited.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oooh!" one of them raised her arms up, "Show us! Show us!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's all in the balance." she raised a hand up to stress the point, "You can't just jump on the ground and hope your hands will hold you up." she warned them, before she curled her back over and moved into a handstand, "So, I practice by doing these."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Wow." one of the girls gasped as they watched her keep herself in place, and calmly at that, "You can balance really good."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yep." she grinned, "So... does anybody wanna try?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I dunno." one of the girls admitted, "I might fall over."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I know!" Ty Lee's eyes widened, "We can have partners." she explained, "Somebody can be ready to hold your legs so don't fall over when you practice." she explained, before glancing at her sisters, "Do you wanna help?" she asked them; most of them seemed disinterested, and Ty Lat decided to excuse them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We're going to go play tag. Bye, Ty Lee." she decided, the other sisters following after her; she pouted slightly, knowing that she might have made her sisters feel a little bad because she was getting the attention- she just liked it so much, and she didn't want to give it up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned back to face the other girls whose attention she'd got, and one of them stepped forward, "So do you wanna be my partner?" she asked, and the girl nodded; she gestured for her to get down onto the ground so she could help her get her legs up into the air, and she complied, lying down before putting her hands behind her head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She then helped the girl get up into a handstand position, and she grinned with surprise, "W-wow, I'm doing it!" she exclaimed, Ty Lee smiling as she realised she was really helping her out, and hopefully, the girls would like her and maybe want to play with her again in future.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As she helped her keep her balance, the girl seemed to have her attention drawn away from them, in the direction they were both facing, "Huh, is that girl staring at me..." she asked, making Ty Lee raise a brow; she turned her attention over toward the other side of the yard, where she could see a girl sitting on a bench alone, looking their way; she didn't look happy or sad, simply sitting there, blankly looking their way, perhaps with a little interest- she didn't look too odd either, though she felt like she recognised her from her class.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Who is that?" she asked the girl, who didn't seem to know.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's the Princess." one of the other girls explained, Ty Lee's eyes widening.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Princess?" she asked, remembering that her teacher had said something about a Princess from the Royal Family starting school in their very year level, "What was her name?" she tried to recall, unable to remember it, seeing that it was something that only ever mentioned in passing, when she wasn't really paying much attention.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She's kinda creepy." one of the girls commented.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Creepy?" Ty Lee raised a brow, "I mean, she isn't speaking with anyone. Maybe she's just shy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Shy?" the girl she was helping handstand asked, "Royals can't be shy. They're like... the most important people. Everyone listens to them."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, I know, but... people can be shy." she acknowledged, knowing that even if she wasn't she understood well enough from her short time at school that not everyone seemed comfortable talking to others, especially when they hadn't met before.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She then heard the bell be rung, and turned her head to notice that one of the teachers was standing by the front of the yard with the brass bell in hand that she would use to tell them that break was over. She then helped the girl whose legs she had been holding up down, and she got back up to her feet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thanks for showing us how to do that, Ty Lee." she smiled at her, and she smiled back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No problem." she assured her, before her eyes widened, "None of you told me your names."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, don't worry, we'll see you again." she assured her, before pacing off across the yard to head back to her classroom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She turned her head around, recalling that she was going to her history and cultural heritage class, which had a long name that was just as boring as it sounded; they never seemed to talk about anything interesting, just old Fire Lords and things they did, along with some other odd or creepy things, like the kind of bedtime stories her mother would sometimes tell her and her sisters, only much more real. She didn't really like that part of school, and she had a feeling her sisters didn't either, but that didn't mean they weren't going to do the work that was what their parents expected of them, and she wasn't going to disappoint them. She wanted them to see her for all the good hard work she could do.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She picked up her school bag, which she had left by where she and her sisters were cartwheeling, and she strode out of the yard, following after the other girls, who just like her were heading to their own classes. When she reached the path out of the yard, she eyed around, remembering that her history class was in a classroom by a large tree, which she could see in the distance. She paced on over toward the tree, and eyed around, noting a number of girls already filing into the class; Ty Lee stood in line, waiting for them to make their way in, and once she could get in, she darted to go find herself a seat, wanting to be as far from the teacher as possible, not wanting to be asked questions about things she had no idea about. That would be very embarrassing, and Ty Lee didn't want to look dumb in front of all the other girls.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When she sat down, she placed her bag down beside her, and pulled out the paper she would be using to write; she wasn't that good at writing yet, given she'd only started learning that year, but she knew enough about it that she could write intelligible things that the teacher might be able to read and mark her on. She glanced up toward the teacher, who looked like she was going through her things, making sure she actually had everything she needed for the class. While she waited, Ty Lee picked her writing brush out of her bag and began to spin it around in her hand, just wanting to pass the time. She heard somebody sitting down beside her, and she glanced to her left to realise that it was the Princess, who had been staring at her earlier.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn't know whether to speak, but awkwardly smiled at her, deciding that she at least ought to introduce herself, "Uh, hi, I'm Ty Lee. Who are you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're joking." she scoffed, looking at her with a perplexed face, "You don't even know who I am?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Sorry... I couldn't remember your name." she whispered, "You're the Princess, that's all I know."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, I am." she confirmed, "Azula." she gave her name, before pulling her own brush and paper out, "You're good at acrobatics." she simply commented, making her smirk as she realised she had been paying attention.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, did you think my trick was cool?" she asked, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It was okay." she admitted, not sounding that impressed, "Those other girls seemed to think it was cool." she noted, Ty Lee nodding as she placed her brush back down on the table in front of her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah, they did." she agreed with her, "Do you want me to show you how to do those tricks?" she asked Azula, who furrowed a brow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I want to become a master firebender someday." she explained her intentions, "So... maybe your acrobatics might help me be a great fighter." she noted, before silently sitting there for a few moments; unlike the other girls, she didn't seem interested in the spectacle of her acrobatics, but rather the actual use it could be to her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I could teach you." she suggested, "But... I've only just met you." she admitted, "Why do you want my help? I've got six sisters who could teach you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're better." she simply gave her reasoning, "You're good at talking to people, and make them happy."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, so... you want to be my friend?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Princess narrowed her eyes, before turning them toward the teacher, "Is that what friends are?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." she confirmed, "You look interesting, Azula." she gave her opinion on her, which she'd only formed through the short conversation they'd had. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I want to be." she smirked, before picking up her brush, "We're about to start." she gestured to the teacher, and Ty Lee picked up her own brush.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Now, class, we're going to be learning about the Great Unification today, and learn about how our nation came to be." she explained, "Does anyone know what that was?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"When the first Fire Lord defeated the warlords and made himself the ruler of all our nation." Azula gave what she guessed was the correct answer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Uh, yes, that is correct, Princess Azula." the teacher confirmed, the Princess smirking; upon understanding her knowledge, Ty Lee figured that there was one great advantage to making friends with her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Can you give me some answers?" she asked, knowing they were going to be quizzed on things, and she'd prefer to get a better mark, maybe so her parents might congratulate her and give her some notice.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you show me how to do a handstand." she gave her own condition, and Ty Lee offered her hand out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, deal?" she proposed, and Azula shook her hand, with a pleased look on her face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Deal."</em>
</p><hr/><p>If she were to be completely honest with herself, Ty Lee would admit that she probably could have chosen a better place to hide; she was curled up in a barn, some distance away from the town where the circus had been set up, and though she could have tried to travel further, she was too tired from running and fighting off the firebenders, whose arson had left Ty Lee with a number of light burns on her arms, hands and legs, not to mention a sustained cough which persisted long after she stopped running.</p><p>The barn she was hiding in was large enough that it wasn't much warmer inside than it was outside of it, and she only had hay to lie on to try and keep herself warm, and though it was better than nothing, it irritated her burned skin, and forced her to itch it as she tried to get some rest. She knew she couldn't hide there for that long, but the barn provided a reasonable amount of cover while she rested, and she guessed she could stay there until daybreak, when she could continue running off away from the village. The forest might allow her to lose the men who were pursuing her and presumably the information she had in the scrolls tied to her waist.</p><p>As she sat there, hungry and tired, she lamented the fact she hadn't eaten more of those fire flakes, and relegated herself to remain there instead of doing something as stupid as trying to steal from the nearby house, where she guessed the owners of the barn were living. She knew that theft wasn't a good thing to do, and when there was a chance the people who lived in the house weren't friendly, she decided it wasn't worth the risk. if she got attacked, or worse, turned into the authorities, which would make it a whole lot easier for her pursuers to find her.</p><p>That was why, when she heard the sound of a voice in the house, and then the sound of footsteps, she became a whole lot more nervous; she knew there were some ostrich horses in the barn which probably needed to be tended to. She had just been lucky earlier than she didn't frighten the animals, but now, she realised that didn't matter. Somebody was going to come inside, and all she could do was scamper up and over the stacks of hay, and hope that she could hide behind them. She couldn't be found, not when there was a good chance that she might be arrested for trespassing; she could only hope that the locals really didn't like the Fire Nation authorities, and thus, didn't hand her over.</p><p>"What's wrong?" she heard the voice of someone who she assumed to be a teenage boy, by the tone that he spoke with, and she heard his footsteps moving over toward what she assumed was the ostrich horses, "Did something frighten you?" he asked the creatures, which obviously, being unable to speak, weren't going to respond.</p><p>The barn fell silent, and she covered her mouth, hoping that her breathing wasn't too loud; she heard some footsteps approaching the stacks of hay she was hiding behind, and cringed with fear.</p><p>"If you're a person, now would be the time to speak." he warned her, "Otherwise I'm going to whack you with this broom." he stressed, and Ty Lee yelped with fear.</p><p>"Please don't!" she pleaded, before covering her mouth, realising that it was too late.</p><p>A bit of the hay was moved out the way, allowing the boy to see her; she realised that he was definitely Earth Kingdom, with swarthy skin, long brown hair tied up with a bandana and topknot, and the usual green and olive drab clothes that was expected of his people.</p><p>"What... what are you doing in my barn?" he asked her, and she cringed with fear.</p><p>"U-uh..." she mumbled, "Hiding." she decided to give the honest truth, the boy raising a brow before he glanced at the ostrich horses behind him, "From the ostrich horses?"</p><p>She scrunched her lips up, trying to hold back a laugh, and shook her head, "N-no." she stressed, "I'm hiding from... people who want to hurt me."</p><p>"The Fire Nation." he guessed, somewhat accurately, before he pointed toward her, "What'd you do?"</p><p>"Uh... learn about things I probably shouldn't've." she gave the honest truth without spilling any of the details she was sure Mai didn't want her to.</p><p>His eyes widened for a moment, before his expression softened, "You're hurt. They burned you, didn't they?"</p><p>"Just a little." she mumbled, pulling herself up from the ground, "I'm faster than them."</p><p>"Well, the fact you got here and my barn hasn't been burnt down says that already." he noted, crossing his arms, "I don't think you should be in here."</p><p>"I-I'm sorry." she dropped her head down, knowing the danger she was putting the boy and assumingly, the rest of his family in, "I'm... I'm putting your family in danger, aren't I? This was a stupid place to go. I knew it." she grumbled to herself, knowing that it would have been smarter to hide somewhere in the town itself.</p><p>"No." he shook his head, "I mean out of the barn. You need to have those burns looked at." he explained, before tilting his head toward the doors of the barn, "Come with me."</p><p>"Um..." she mumbled, scratching the back of her head as she realised that he actually wanted to help her; she smiled, just glad that he wasn't going to get the local guards on her, "Thanks."</p><p>"Just follow me. I've got to explain this to my mum so she doesn't freak out." he explained, Ty Lee nodding as she pulled herself back over the haystack and began to follow after him, making her way toward the entrance; the boy glanced out into the distance as he stood by the doors, and his eyes widened as he saw something.</p><p>She stepped up beside him, unsure what he was getting worried about, though the fact he was worried piqued her interest at once; it turned out that he was actually looking toward the town, or more specifically, at the fire that had resulted from the burning of the main tent of the circus.</p><p>"You're from that circus, aren't you?" he guessed correctly, and she nodded to clarify, "What kind of people did you piss off?"</p><p>"The dangerous kind." she simply told him what she had before, her expression softening as she realised that he obviously didn't want to put himself in danger, and now, comprehending the proximity of the danger, might have been reconsidering his actions, "If you don't want me to come inside, that's fine. I should probably go into the forest. That's where I'll be able to hide." she explained her thoughts, the boy shaking his head.</p><p>"No." he refused, "You're... you shouldn't have to sleep out there. It isn't safe."</p><p>She nodded, still surprised that he was adamant on helping her; she was sure he was a nice guy, and was relieved she was lucky that she'd decided to rest in his barn of all people.</p><p>"You know I'm Fire Nation, don't you?" she asked, sure that he mightn't try and help her if she knew where she was from, given he was most certainly Earth Kingdom.</p><p>"Yeah, the circus is Fire Nation." he told her bluntly, something that she should have realised he already deduced; sometimes her lack of thoughtfulness made her feel like an idiot, and she shook her head, knowing that she had to keep her mind on task.</p><p>"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Ty Lee.</p><p>"Ty Lee?" he furrowed a brow, "Did your parents add the Ty so you'd stand out?" he asked, making her snicker; it was actually the opposite way around, given how she had six identical sisters all with the name Ty, followed by a second name.</p><p>"No, actually." she admitted, before glancing toward the rear door of the house that they were approaching, "So... uh, you have to tell your mum." she recalled, "Does she not like strangers?"</p><p>"The only strangers that show up at our house are the Fire Nation soldiers collecting taxes." he explained, sounding rather annoyed by that fact, "We can barely get by as it is." he added, before shaking his head, "Just give me a second." he raised hand, and she stopped by the door as he opened it and stepped inside.</p><p>"Mum, something's happened." she heard him speak up, and he heard some shuffling about.</p><p>"What is it, Haru?" she asked him, sounding clearly concerned, "Did somebody steal one of the ostrich horses?"</p><p>"No, not that. I found someone curled up in the barn. She's hurt, and bad people are looking for her."</p><p>"A complete stranger in our barn." she stated what she had just been told, sounding rather nervous about it, "That's... odd." she noted, "What kind of person are we talking about?"</p><p>"I think she's a circus performer." Haru admitted, and his mother almost laughed.</p><p>"A circus performer?" she asked, sounding skeptical of the fact, "The circus is in town." she admitted, "Let her in... you say she's hurt?" she asked, now sounding more concerned than she had been.</p><p>"Burns." he clarified, and a moment later, he opened the door back up, "Come in." he told her, and Ty Lee heeded his words.</p><p>She strode into the house, and noted the warm light from a candle at the centre of the table, where she could see a middle-aged woman sitting, her gaze immediately turning to meet her own. The woman scanned her appearance, and her the edges of her lips pursed downward, telling her that she was sympathetic to her plight.</p><p>"Oh dear." she gasped, "You're... come closer." she requested, making the acrobat tense up as she considered whether she should heed her words; she decided, given that she seemed to be friendly and concerned for her injuries, that she would step closer, and the woman rose up to her feet.</p><p>"These burns are no joke." she admitted, "I'm surprised you were even able to get here."</p><p>"I'm good at running." she admitted honestly, making the woman smile for a moment.</p><p>"Yes, you are." she agreed with her, before gesturing for her to sit down; she did that, and glanced back for a moment, noting that Haru was just watching, seeming unsure what to do with himself.</p><p>"Haru, go into the washroom. There's a jar of burn ointment in there." she told her son, who nodded, before striding on down the hallway to go retrieve it.</p><p>Ty Lee turned her eyes back toward the woman who had just decided to help her, and she bowed her head down, "Thank you." she simply told her, unsure what else to say to a stranger who had offered her refuge.</p><p>"What kind of bad people was my son referring to?" she asked her, the acrobat's expression shifting to one of fear; she didn't know what to tell her, knowing that if she gave her too much information, that could be a danger for her and her son.</p><p>"I've been told things." she put it as vaguely as she could, "Things that powerful people don't want anyone knowing, and I'm sure that they're the ones who sent those men to attack the circus, to find me." she acknowledged, the woman's expression shifting to one of near pity.</p><p>"So... you're here because somebody told you something they shouldn't've?" she asked, and Ty Lee simply nodded, scratching her slightly burnt arms to try and satiate an itch that had been growing on them, and she cringed from the pain.</p><p>"I should have just run." she admitted, before grasping at the scrolls she had tied to her waistband, "But I couldn't leave these."</p><p>"They burnt down a circus for some scrolls." she deduced, shaking her head with disappointment, "The Fire Nation only knows to solve problems with destruction, don't they?"</p><p>"In a way... I guess you're right." she admitted, knowing that even if agreeing with such a proposition was against everything she had been taught at school, what she understood about Ozai's conspiracy validated a view beyond doubt.</p><p>"Sorry." she mumbled, before her eyes met Ty Lee's, "I just don't have many reasons to like your people."</p><p>"I get it." she nodded, knowing well enough from her previous interactions with Earth Kingdom commoners that most of them disdained the Fire Nation and wanted them gone, and some were willing to use extreme force to make sure of that.</p><p>She turned her eyes away, feeling uneasy under the older woman's gaze; she reached toward, placing a hand on the acrobat's shoulder, and sighed, "Sorry, I realise this must be very... unusual for you." she admitted, "Are you from the actual Fire Nation?" she asked, and she nodded.</p><p>"From the capital." she admitted, making the woman's eyes widen.</p><p>"Oh, so, you've seen the Fire Lord's palace and all that." she realised, "I imagine it's all far nicer looking there than in my old house." she admitted, before glancing past her, presumably toward her son, whose footsteps she could hear approaching.</p><p>"This is it, right?" he asked as he held a jar in hand, and she nodded to confirm he had gotten the right one.</p><p>Haru stepped closer to the table, standing beside Ty Lee as he placed the jar of burn ointment down on the table in front of his mother, who opened it up. She realised it was a pretty small jar, so she guessed people in the Earth Kingdom didn't get burnt that often; maybe from accidentally touching a stove fire or boiled water for preparing meals, but not much more often than that. Once she had the jar open, Haru's mother gestured for her to put her arms out, and she complied, offering them out, before she began to lather the rather familiar paste onto her arms.</p><p>She remembered afternoons where the physician at the royal palace would apply it to her skin after she'd just fought in a spar against Azula, and though she knew her friend never truly intended to harm her with her bending, that was just a side effect of training with such a powerful firebender. She missed her friend, and realised how far she was from home, not just in distance, but in time; she hadn't seen Azula or Mai in many months, and part of her wished she had never left. Another part was afraid of what might have happened if she had remained; if she had gotten involved in what Mai and Zuko had, perhaps things might have gone differently, and not in a good way. Perhaps her life, or the lives of her sisters and parents would be under threat, not just Mai and Zuko's, as it had been.</p><p>The paste helped with the itching and aches she had over her arms, numbing them for the most part, and Haru's mother gestured down to her bare midriff, which too, was covered with small splotches of burns. She nodded, and pulled her top up slightly so that she could apply the paste. In the corner of her eye, she noted that Haru was awkwardly turning away, obviously not wanting to look at her, as it might suggest he was being a pervert. As much as she liked the attention of boys, at that very moment, she was at least glad that she wasn't going to concern herself with that; she had far greater priorities than earning anybody's attention, and in contrast, she had to make herself as hidden as possible.</p><p>"Has that helped?" the older woman asked her, and she smiled, glad for the help she and her son had provided.</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, before she glanced toward Haru, "This was really... really helpful. I thought you were going to call the guards on me."</p><p>"We have every reason for them to not come here." the boy warned her, his tone suggesting that there was more to his own fear of the Fire Nation than he was letting on; she didn't want to push the topic, and turned her head around, wondering if she could cover the parts of her skin that were burned.</p><p>"Do you have any bandages?" she asked, and Haru's mother rose up to her feet.</p><p>"Yes, I do." she confirmed, before glancing around, "It's with my sewing kit." she clarified, before pacing off down the hallway; she was unsure where she was going, but decided to just be patient, knowing that she was a guest, and she ought to be as polite as she could be- as a noblewoman, it was her responsibility to do just that when in the house of a stranger.</p><p>Haru glanced toward her once more, and turned his eyes to a nearby window, looking out of the dining area out onto the hillslope, where she could see the light from nearby houses, "Are you sure you weren't followed?"</p><p>"No." she admitted, shaking her head, "I could have been. I was just... running. I had to."</p><p>"I get it." he mumbled, turning his gaze down; he was obviously afraid of Fire Nation people coming looking for her, and perhaps, not for her sake, but his own, or maybe, just his mother's- it seemed like they were living alone.</p><p>"Are you the only ones here?" she asked, and he turned his eyes back to her, before he gave a curt nod, his expression solemn.</p><p>"Y-yeah... my dad's been gone a long time." he admitted, before clenching his fists and turning himself away, "I can't believe I'm helping somebody from the Fire Nation." he admitted honestly, and she made an awkward smile.</p><p>"Thank you... seriously." she stressed, "I was hurting, and tired... I mean, I still am, but at least, I'm in an actual house." she glanced around herself, and he remained silent for a few moments, before turning back to face her.</p><p>"You don't seem like a bad person." he admitted, and glanced to his left, "Did you want... uh, something to drink? Like some water?"</p><p>"That'd be nice." she nodded, knowing that she was a bit thirsty, and all that running had left her dehydrated, though the pain had distracted from that fact, "I need some."</p><p>"Everybody does." he mumbled to himself, before he strode over to a pot of water that sat nearby a stove, picking up a cup before he sifted it through the pot, "It's been boiled recently... so it's fine, trust me." he stressed as he showed her the cup, and she smiled, assuring him that she was fine drinking it; she would have drunk that stream water again if that was her option.</p><p>"That's better than dirty stream water." she admitted, and Haru raised a brow.</p><p>"You say that like you've done that before." he realised, before furrowing a brow, "Have you?"</p><p>"Yeah, as a dare." she admitted, before sighing, taking the cup of water into her hands; she sipped from it, and appreciated every drop of the cool liquid as it ran down her throat and relieved her thirst, "This is good water."</p><p>"Compared to stream water." he added, making her chuckle, before glancing around as she heard his mother's footsteps approaching them once more.</p><p>"I've got the bandages." she spoke up, unfurling a rolled up piece of bandage as she strode toward Ty Lee, who turned around in the chair she was sitting on, allowing the older woman to wrap the bandage around the splotches of burned skin on her right arm.</p><p>She then unfurled another bandage, and wrapped that around her left arm, and the acrobat's expression shifted as she realised she hadn't even introduced herself to the woman, nor had she to her, "Oh, I didn't even tell you my name. I'm Ty Lee... who are you?" she asked the woman, whose expression shifted to one of surprise.</p><p>"Oh, my name is Natsu, and this is my son, Haru." she gestured to the boy, whose name she already knew from his mother addressing him.</p><p>Natsu then pulled out a longer bandage and gestured for Ty Lee to raise her arms; she did, and felt as she wrapped the bandage around her midriff, before tying it up around the front.</p><p>"That should do it." she decided, before her gaze turned up to the acrobat, "So, you'll need a place to stay, at least for tonight."</p><p>"I don't want to cause you any problems." she admitted honestly, knowing that if the men were still looking for her, that would be dangerous for the family who had just helped her, "But... I don't want to sleep in the forest." she honestly admitted, Natsu rising up and gesturing down the hallway.</p><p>"We have a chair you can sleep on." she explained, "I know you're afraid... but you shouldn't have to be. You're not a danger to us." she assured her, and Ty Lee scrunched her lips up; she wanted to accept her proposition, but at the same time, she wanted to run for the woods to make sure there was no chance she'd be found.</p><p>Suddenly, she heard a banging on a door, presumably the one at the front of the house, given how far the sound was travelling, and her eyes widened, realising that what she was hearing could be exactly what she feared.</p><p>"Oh no." Haru gasped, turning his head in the direction of the door, "That... that might be those people." he came to the obvious conclusion, the very same that Ty Lee did.</p><p>"I'm an acrobat." she bluntly stated her profession, and understood what that entailed, and allowed her to do, "Where can I climb and hide?"</p><p>"We've got a storage area in the roof for food, clothes and... uh..." Natsu began, before turning away, "Other things."</p><p>"You mean Dad's stuff?" he asked her, and she nodded, seeming uneased, and a little saddened by it; Ty Lee wanted to ask, but knew it wasn't her place to do so.</p><p>Natsu then gestured down the hallway, "Haru, take her to the opening, I'll deal with whoever's at the door."</p><p>Haru offered her a hand as his mother paced over toward the front door, and she accepted it without a second thought; he led her down the hallway, until they were nearly at the end, and he turned his arms up to push on the wooden panel above them, pushing it out of way.</p><p>He then narrowed his eyes, and sighed, "Urgh, the ladder." he mumbled, and she took matters into her own hands, literally, as she grasped his forearms, pulling them out so she could step on his hands, and tapped his palms.</p><p>"Stand still." she requested, and the boy did just that, allowing her to step on his palms with her right foot, before she leapt up and grabbed onto the ledge of the hole, allowing her to pull herself up.</p><p>She groaned slightly from having her muscles stretched so sharply after being burnt, but she kept herself quiet, rising up to her own feet as she eyed around the attic. It was dimly lit in comparison to the house below, which had candles lit around to make it easy to see; she decided that with little options, she would just have to slowly step forward and hope she didn't knock anything over, and find somewhere to curl up and hide. She turned around and grabbed the panel, looking down at Haru for a moment, whose expression suggested he was more than a little nervous about the whole situation.</p><p>"Good luck." he quietly acknowledged her as she pushed the panel back over the hole, putting it in place, and making it look like she hadn't even gone up to begin with.</p><p>Ty Lee let out a deep breath before she slowly pulled herself along, making sure not to touch any floorboards that were creaky. Once she found a comfortable position on the floor, she laid herself down and listened out for any voices in the house below.</p><p>"This is important, ma'am." a male voice addressed Natsu, "We're looking for a dangerous fugitive. A woman associated with a conspiracy against the Fire Lord's life. Have you or your son seen anything suspicious this evening?"</p><p>"The ostrich horses have been settled." Haru spoke up, "Nobody's been around, sir. If they had been, I would have dealt with them."</p><p>"Dealt?" a voice questioned him, "What can a skinny boy like you do?"</p><p>"He's had to deal with thieves at my store before." Natsu clarified, though Ty Lee was unsure if she was being truthful; it was clear they had their own secrets, and seemed to be skilled at lying through their teeth.</p><p>"Thieves..." one of the men spoke quietly, "Well, if they come around again, tell the local garrison."</p><p>"Are you guys new here?" Haru asked, obviously trying to make conversation.</p><p>"Yes." one spoke with a more serious tone, "Now, you mentioned ostrich horses. How many do you have?"</p><p>"Six." Natsu clarified, "We're holding them while one of my friends prepares to sell them."</p><p>"Well then, we're going to check it. If any are gone... that might indicate the fugitive has come through and stolen one." the same man explained their intentions.</p><p>Ty Lee sighed with relief, realising that they weren't even thinking about her potentially being housed by the family, but simply thought she might have stolen from them; if she hadn't be as exhausted and pained as she was, perhaps she would have, but she knew that might have been more dangerous than the present situation she was facing. She shuffled around a little to make sure she could place her ear down onto the floorboards, so she could best hear what was going on down below her.</p><p>"What's the burn ointment for?" she heard a voice comment, and then, a moment later, Haru spoke up.</p><p>"Mum burnt her arm the other day when she was cooking." he lied, "You know, from boiling water." he suggested, trying to sound as sincere as he could, and Ty Lee heard one of them scoff a few moments later.</p><p>"You should take better care of your parents." one of the men suggested, "Maybe you do some cooking, boy." he addressed Haru, who remained silent as the men strode on out of the rear door, intending for the barn.</p><p>Ty Lee tensed up, unsure if the men who had come to investigate were suspicious of the family, though she thought they'd done a good job so far; what surprised her a little bit was once the men were out of earshot, Haru made a spiteful comment.</p><p>"Take care..." he snarled under his breath, and she heard his mother's voice next.</p><p>"Haru, please, don't get too angry. If you... you know, then things will be much worse than they already are."</p><p>"You know what they did, Mum." he retorted, before striding on down the hallway, his footsteps clear and sound for Ty Lee to hear; she didn't know if he was going to open the panel up to let her down, and the sound of a door closing a few moments later told her that wasn't the case- he really was angry, and she guessed that it had something to do with his missing father, given the man's comment specifically mentioned parents.</p><p>"Oh, Haru." she heard Natsu mumble her son's name with a sad tone, before the rear door of the house was pushed open.</p><p>"The barn has six ostrich horses in it. It doesn't seem like the fugitive has been here." one of the men explained, "If anybody steals things from your house, then come to the town and tell our men at the town hall. We'll try our best to track the fugitive down and retrieve anything they might steal."</p><p>"Uh, thank you." she simply responded, though her tone was far more nervous than relieved.</p><p>"Let's move out! They'll be nearby, I'm sure of it." he shouted out, before pushing the door shut behind him as he strode out; she heard some sounds below her after that, though she couldn't be too sure what she was hearing until she noted some distinctive footsteps moving in her direction.</p><p>The panel was knocked twice, and Ty Lee turned herself around, before pulling it open, glancing down to see Natsu, who had an uneasy look on her face, "Come down, dear." she raised a hand up toward her, "I'll get some blankets for you to sleep on."</p><p>"Thank you for lying." she smiled at her, the Earth Kingdom woman's expression shifting to one of fear.</p><p>"Those men were all armed, and looked like they were about to burn this place down if they knew you were here." she admitted, before shaking her head, "They're going off to the other farms now. You'll be fine to come down."</p><p>"Okay." she accepted her request, and pulled the panel completely out of the way, before she placed her hands on either side of the hole, dropping back down to the ground, landing softly on her feet, though she cringed slightly from the pain in her legs.</p><p>She glanced down the hallway, wondering where Haru had gone, "Where's Haru?" she asked, guessing that he had gone to his bedroom, and Natsu cringed, shaking her head.</p><p>"He's... well, he's not in the best mood." she admitted, "Those soldiers made some hurtful comments... even if they didn't realise it." she acknowledged, before shaking her head, "We have good reason to hate them."</p><p>"I'm..." she began, before looking down, "I'm sorry. I don't even know you people, but you helped me, even though..." she trailed off, glancing toward what she assumed was Haru's bedroom, "My people have done bad things to yours... your family."</p><p>"That wasn't your fault." she simply told her, before gesturing down the hallway, "I'll show you where you can sleep."</p><p>"Thank you." she smiled at her, before stepping along beside her, wondering what she could do to repay her and her son, "I could try and help you, you know. I know how to... do a few things."</p><p>"A few things... like chores?"</p><p>"Well, I could do those, once I stop hurting so much." she agreed with her idea, before narrowing her eyes, "But I mean, I could really do something. I know people."</p><p>"You're not actually plotting to kill the Fire Lord, are you?"</p><p>"N-no." she shook her head, although she refused to say what her actual relation to the Fire Lord was; Azula and Zuko's uncle, somebody they both would want to protect, "I'm not."</p><p>"You're not the best liar." Natsu admitted, making Ty Lee cringe.</p><p>"I..." she mumbled, "They're lying." she simply put it, "I know you probably don't care about the Fire Lord, but I'm not trying to kill him."</p><p>Natsu raised a brow, seeming a little interested by her rather stern response, and she narrowed her eyes at her, "So, what have you gotten yourself into?"</p><p>"Politics I don't want to be involved with." she put it bluntly, "I really just want to help my friends."</p><p>"Well, that's kind of you... assuming you have nice friends." she noted, and Ty Lee smiled, knowing that even if Mai and Azula weren't the nicest people, they certainly weren't bad ones, even if the Princess tried to act like she was a ruthless and cunning warrior at all times.</p><p>"They're a little rough on the edges, but they're good."</p><hr/><p>Even without her old and annoying firebending instructors to demand Azula get up at dawn, as a firebender, she felt herself compelled to rise from her sheets as soon as the sun peered over the horizon to the east of her ship. Her room was dark, except for the candles that she had set up by her desk, which she lit as soon as she woke up, sitting herself down on the floor, beside the table where she would usually drink tea and read reports she received from the Fire Navy about the Avatar, at least when she had been searching for him. Now, she was trying to make sure the Fire Navy didn't get their hands on him, and somehow narrow down where Ty Lee's circus was, and with that, give her someplace to search for her friend. However, she was not going to spend the time between breakfast and dawn embroiled in thoughts about where her friend was, and what knowledge she had that could help her, and by extension, the Fire Nation as a whole.</p><p>She had her legs crossed, and her hands in her lap, while she took long, deep breaths, trying to remain focused on the candles she could sense nearby. The flames grew and shrunk every moment with her heartbeat, and the thumping that she could hear in her own head became the only thing she could focus on. Her mind was at peace, even if only for a moment, and once she felt like she was calm enough, detached from her worries about Ty Lee and her father's conspiracy, she reached a hand toward the candles, and began to consciously bend the flames on their tips.</p><p>She could feel each of the flames grow stronger as she focused on the flames, and she drew them upward, arcing toward the ceiling. The room was lit up a blue hue from her firebending, and she began to turn her hand around and twist it, and with it, the drawn out flames began to coil around each other, forming an ivy-like structure, which she found herself rather impressed with. It was not the power of her bending that she needed to test, but the accuracy and precision with which she could use it; strength was nothing if she could not wield it correctly.</p><p>She sighed as her mind turned back to one of her most powerful abilities, lightning generation, and remembered that she hadn't tried to do it since she fought Sanyan for the first time; she knew that she would need her strength once again, for whatever battles she might participate in, but she didn't truly understand what the problem was. If it really did have to do with her chakras, something that she was no expert on, then she would have to figure out how to unblock them.</p><p>She knew that the physician talked about lies and illusions, and she remembered what her uncle had told her; that she was Avatar Roku's descendant, and that was why her mother had married her father, and thus, the reason she existed. It was a confronting truth, and just thinking about it made her flames falter; she didn't want to be an Avatar's descendant, and it wasn't because she didn't want the power. She found pride in her strength, but she knew that her heritage was a weakness; she was a descendant of somebody who was meant to keep balance between the Four Nations, but that wasn't something she could agree to, not after all that her nation had been through. They had won the war, and now, she knew that things were going to change.</p><p>That truth was something she didn't take comfort in, but she was relieved to at least know it; knowing the truth was a path to removing any illusions and lies in her path, and regaining access to her abilities. She wondered why she had once been able to generate lightning, before she knew much about the Avatar, the Air Nomads, while the truth remained; she guessed that the chakra was being blocked by the truths she knew but refused to accept, but she had no idea which truth that was. The Fire Nation's supremacy was a truth in and of itself, easy to observe and impossible to deny; the right path for her nation was a choice, and thus, there were no illusions concerning that. There was only one thing she could think of, that was that the lie was her own stance.</p><p>"I believe in the Fire Nation. I believe in our mission." she told herself out loud, just to try and stress the point.</p><p>But she knew that she wasn't being true to herself, after what she had seen; she believed that they had won, and that their victory was fair, but whether that was righteous, or just, on behalf of the Air Nomads, Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom, who had all suffered at the hands of her nation, led by her grandfather and his father before him. She raised her hands to her head, wondering what those Air Nomads who had burned alive to the power of Sozin's Comet thought as they were being attacked; perhaps they knew Aang existed, and believed he might come to save them, only to be sorely disappointed. Their suffering had no reason to it, no purpose, as the Air Nomads were pacifists, who never desired to fight in a war, and the Avatar was never found, not until he appeared a century later on Kyoshi Island.</p><p>Sozin might have been right to fear the Avatar, but she couldn't reason why destroying the Air Nomads was righteous; they never would have done the same to her nation, and she could probably say the same about the Water Tribes, who lacked the numbers or the courage, in the case of the Northern Water Tribe, to even put up a fight against them. Their land was poor and useless to their nation, yet her grandfather had sent the Southern Raiders to annihilate the Southern Water Tribe. That was the truth of the matter, and now, she had to acknowledge it; they were wrong, even if their conquest of the Earth Kingdom had reason, how they had gone about it was fruitless and simply wasted lives, and most importantly, her cousin's life. All those people that had died, all for the sake of ruling a people that hated her nation, and who, without completely destroying them, would never truly be under their control. The prosperity Sozin's grand mission intended was never going to come to the Earth Kingdom, and to think it would be was just foolish; her ancestor had sought to sow a harvest with blood and ash and with that, grow a bounty.</p><p>"There is no hope." she mumbled under her breath, before she rose up to her feet, "That's it." she concluded, "Peace has to come some way, and our way... it won't last."</p><p>She knew her father followed Sozin's mission as his very ethos, and desired to fulfil it with complete disregard for the lives of the people of the other nations; she too cared little for them, but caring was not the problem. She knew it wasn't right, and that's the truth she had refused to accept; she had seen it walking through those long abandoned temples. People suffered for nothing, and even if she didn't care about them, it was the results that made her understand the futility of it. Even talking to that foolish inventor at the Northern Air Temple had proved that truth, even as she mocked him for his cowardice. A plan to destroy the other nations would never bring prosperity to them, and just thinking about it enough made her realise that; perhaps others had too, but like the Mechanist, were too afraid to act on their beliefs, and towed the line. Her uncle wanted to change things, and she was afraid of that change, fearing what might become of her nation, but she knew that was a line that had to be crossed now.</p><p>Azula rose up to her feet, and shook her head, "That wasn't meditation." she noted, before narrowing her eyes at the door, "But it certainly helped." she acknowledged.</p><p>The truth was disturbing and made her angry; angry that, just like her father had made Lo and Li destroy that airbending scroll, her nation had been deprived of the truth. They lacked the knowledge to even make a decision; Sokka's frustrating goading had had a point in the end- she had the knowledge, and she was just too afraid to accept it and act on it. It was one thing to accept her uncle's will and help the Avatar, and another to accept the wrongs in her nation's way, the reason that the conflict between her uncle and father had arisen in the first place. If her uncle had been like her grandfather, and been set in following the mission just as he had, then Ozai would have had no opportunity to conspire, to make Iroh out as a traitor and a weakling.</p><p>Accepting that truth was the only way she could become strong enough to face him, if that was what it would take; Azula was not simply trying to be righteous, but had her reasons to be set on her path fully without doubt. If she doubted it, then her chakras would remain blocked, and she would not be strong enough to fight her father, let alone face any people he decided to send her way. She didn't feel any different, but she knew that she had to be. She had thrown away the lies, and now, as she strode out of her room, she decided to make sure that her heart was true.</p><p>As she made her way down the hallway, some sailors took note of her, confused as to why she was out of her room in her sleeping robes; she didn't care for appearances, for keeping up a visage of perfection, when she had to make sure she could attain that perfection itself. Without her lightning, she was incomplete, so she would find it once again. When she approached the staircase that led up to the main deck, she made sight of a pair of Imperial Fiebenders, talking amongst themselves quietly; they turned to face her, with clearly perplexed faces, and one of them stepped forward, holding his helmet by his waist.</p><p>"Your highness, is everything alright?" he asked, and she raised her left hand to dismiss him as she strode up the staircase onto the deck.</p><p>She made her way up out onto the top deck, and basked in the morning sun's light, taking in the orange sky around her as she raised her hands up; she took a deep breath, feeling the strength the sun gave her, and took form. Spinning her hands around slowly in a circular motion around her body, she felt the sparks conjure around her, just as they had the last time, when she had failed. She narrowed her eyes, and thrust her right hand up into the air, feeling the energy course up her chi-paths, and finally, it exited her body, a bolt of lightning firing out from her fingertips, the light almost blinding, forcing her to close her eyes as it coursed up into the sky above up the ship, thunder booming loudly. She let out the air in her lungs, and let herself smile; Azula was whole, and she was capable of facing whatever came her way.</p><p>"I'm ready." she declared with a confident smirk, before straightening her lips, knowing that important things had to be dealt with; she turned around, and saw that the pair of guards had watched her generate the lightning bolt, and both looked rather impressed by it.</p><p>"Is there something you need, your highness?" the same guard asked her, and she nodded, gesturing up to the bridge of her ship.</p><p>"I need messenger hawks sent out to the garrisons of every colonial settlement in our present vicinity, and I want to know where that circus is." she explained, and they nodded, before pacing off across the deck towards the bridge; she turned herself around, and placed her hands behind her back as she looked out at the water which glistened as it reflected the morning sun, which still sat only just above the horizon, partially obscured by clouds.</p><p>She took a deep breath, and looked across the horizon as she wondered where exactly her friend was; she knew that reaching her was an imperative, and gathering whatever information she had would be vital in stopping her father, in the case Iroh wanted to publicly oppose him, which seemed within reason as Zuko no longer seemed in immediate danger. She wondered whether her brother would try to do anything, given that he had to have escaped the capital by that point. She assumed that once Iroh knew where he was, the Order of the White Lotus would be able to help him, so Azula didn't consider it imperative to go and find him.</p><p>She didn't like her brother that much, and knew that he might just conflict with her over her intention to become their uncle's heir. Any desire to assist him came out of a sense of responsibility, given that he, like her, was in direct opposition to her father's plans, and had obviously put himself in danger finding intelligence that may have inadvertently saved her uncle's life; Mai, as well, was on her mind, and she knew that her friend, though a smart individual and brilliant fighter, probably was not ready for the challenges she would be facing with Zuko. Azula had gone through her own ordeals, but she knew that they were probably dealing with things just as dangerous as she was.</p><p>Ensuring the safety of Aang and Ty Lee, however, were her imperatives, the former out of obligation to her uncle's will, and the latter out of fear for what might become of her friend, and the intelligence that she had presumably obtained from Mai. She placed her hands on the railing of her ship, and considered whether she ought to go and have breakfast, or continue her meditation; as much as she wanted to get things done, she understood the danger of being solely focused on her task. She could only keep a clear mind and focus when she didn't constantly drum over her fears and theories about what might be happening far from her ship. Without knowledge, her thoughts were merely a waste of time and weighed her down, making her reconsider the objectives that she had to complete.</p><p>The war, and her thoughts on it, were not what she wanted to think about again, knowing that it only brought up negative emotions. Though some, like her uncle, might feel hopeful about what they could achieve in a world where they moved past the conflict that had consumed their nation, she felt lost without that singular focus and drive. Without a place to conquer, or battles to fight, Azula's future seemed less certain; she would remain a Princess, that was certain, but she had been trained her entire life by her father, and Lo and Li, to be a warrior, formidable enough to lead men into battle, and serve her nation just as her uncle once had.</p><p>She knew that helping the Avatar, though a challenging task that would keep her wits sharp, was not comparable to the feats she had hoped to achieve fighting for her nation. She wanted to see herself lauded, and rightfully, for grand achievements, conquests and victories for her nation; it was only now, that she saw that those achievements could only come about  through vicious bloodshed which would only further harm the authority of their nation over the places they had already subjugated, that she understood that it was a fruitless dream.</p><p>She turned around, and began striding toward the doorway that led into the bridge of her ship, making her way along the length of the deck. She could feel the hum of the engine vibrating through the deck, and the glistening of the morning sun off the eaves of the pagoda-like bridge; Azula was as calm as she could be, given the circumstances, and she was still a little excited about having regained control of her lightning generation. Without fear, she knew she would be unstoppable, and that was what she'd need to be if she stared her father down in an Agni Kai. Some actions were unwise because of their futility, but his, they were unwise because of who he had angered. She would not stand idly by and let her country fall into chaos, and let Ozai wreak havoc on the world for the sake of his vision for it. A vision of flames and destruction was not prosperity and bounty for the Fire Nation, and she would be sure to remind him of that when she turned her nation away from the conflict that would surely bring an end to it otherwise.</p><hr/><p>The morning sun shone down over the courtyard of Piandao's estate, and its rays embraced Zuko's shirtless upper body as he moved through his firebending sets with quick succession. Long gone were the pains and aches from the explosion, and now, the Prince was testing his strength; his bending was his greatest weapon, no matter how skilled he was with a sword. He and Fat had already done some warm-up sets with their own blades, and he had enjoyed it thoroughly, at least as much as he could; it reminded him of his time he spent at the estate, learning from the great sword-master.</p><p>He had been young, naive and lacking in confidence, starkly different from the Zuko who moved through his sets on the same ground he learned to spar against Fat all those years ago. He had grown tall and strong, and he was no longer a young boy in heart; he had the fears and aspirations of a future ruler, and as much as he wanted to avoid Ozai and his men, part of him wanted to bite back in revenge. He was angry at his father, for how he had acted, and his willingness to betray his own brother. As much as he disdained Azula for all her arrogance and enviable position in the eyes of their father, he couldn't fathom doing to her what Ozai had done to Iroh.</p><p>Zuko might have not liked many people, but he knew that he loved his uncle; he was a good man, and far wiser than himself. As unusual as he could be at times, the Prince trusted the Fire Lord with all his heart, and he was sure that as soon as he could help him directly, he would do so without delay. He had to act, sooner rather than later, and that was part of the reason why he was moving through his sets. He was focused and determined, with a single goal in mind; he sought to attain the ability that had thus far eluded him: lightning generation.</p><p>Piandao's scrolls had helped him somewhat, at least in understanding what he would have to achieve to attain the skill he so desired; lightning generation supposedly required peace of mind, as it lacked the same kind of aggression that was found in other kinds of firebending. So, when he was doing his sets, he tried to move his mind away from the anger he felt about his father, the anger he knew was giving his flames the power they needed. As expected, as he moved through his sets, he found himself unable to bend flames as intense as he had before trying to clear his mind, but, in contrast, found that he had even more energy to spare as he felt himself strengthened by the sun above him.</p><p>He still had a drive and focus, behind all that rage he had been feeling over his circumstances; he was, above all else, determined to do his duty, and serve his uncle. He had to, knowing that if he shrugged off his responsibilities, he could leave his uncle in danger; the Dragon of the West was no joke in a fight, but he knew that he could help his uncle much more than he already had. Just telling him about Ozai's scheming wouldn't be enough; he had to make sure they were victorious, and that his father's plans would never come to fruition.</p><p>That focus was what he let drive him as he proceeded to follow exactly what the scroll told him to do; he gathered his chi by spinning his fingers around, sparks flying around his fingertips, and he could feel the unnatural power in his hands as he moved into form, throwing his right arm forward to aim a lightning bolt into the sky. What he wasn't expecting was to be blasted off of his feet by a small but potent explosion, obviously caused by his failure to complete the form. He grunted as he hit the ground, and a few moments later, he heard some footsteps approaching him.</p><p>"Prince Zuko, are you..." he heard Fat speak up, and the Prince turned around to see the butler looking at him with a concerned expression, "What was that?"</p><p>"A mistake." he simply responded, wiping the dust off of his skin before he rose up to his feet; he was sweaty and a little tired after all his exercises, and decided that he ought to go wash up, "Where's Piandao?"</p><p>"He's just doing some calligraphy inside." he clarified, before glancing around; he strode over to the rack located by the edge of the courtyard, and picked up Zuko's upper robe, and tossed it over into his hands; the Prince caught it, and nodded, silently thanking him for his assistance, before he pulled his arms through the sleeves of his robes, allowing him to tie them up, covering his chest and arms.</p><p>Walking around shirtless would be unseemly of him, especially when he wasn't actually doing his exercises anymore; he didn't waste any time standing there, and paced back over toward the rear room of the manor, where he knew Piandao liked to sit and do his work, able to have the room lit by the sun at any time of the day, as he had windows on both the east and west sides of the room. When he got to the door, he pulled it open, before glancing inside, just trying to make sure he wasn't going to interrupt the sword-master when he might be in a state of focus. He slowly strode into the room, and though Piandao didn't look his way, he obviously knew he was standing there, as he raised a hand.</p><p>"Please shut the door. I don't want Fat having to sweep up dust if it gets windy." he explained, the young Prince nodding, and he turned around to comply with his request; once the door was shut, he returned to the room, and stood some distance away from his host, unsure what he should say, now that he had failed to generate lightning.</p><p>Piandao turned slowly to face him, and his expression told him that he knew things hadn't gone as planned, "I assume that explosion wasn't good news." he deduced, and the Prince nodded, "Lightning generation is no easy task, I assure you, Zuko. Few can master it with the level that your uncle has, and even less at your age." he warned him, "This shouldn't be unexpected."</p><p>"It isn't." he admitted honestly, clenching his fists slightly as he tried to to remain calm; Zuko knew that he would have to struggle to become the Prince he knew he could be, but that struggle was going to get him agitated and abrasive sooner rather than later, "Master..." he addressed him, unsure how to frame his thoughts, "How can I find peace of mind?"</p><p>"Peace of mind is not an achievement, but a state of being, Zuko." he warned him, "You cannot expect to clear your mind for a moment and hope that you will be able to generate lightning in that instant. You need to be completely certain."</p><p>"Certain." he repeated his last word, curious as to what kind of certainty he was referring to, "I am certain."</p><p>"Certain of what, may I ask?" he asked, and the Prince grimaced slightly, before he straightened his face.</p><p>"That I have to face him again."</p><p>"Fear can drive any man." he warned him, his proverbial phrasing reminding Zuko rather fondly of his uncle, "But true strength comes from being motivated by your own will, not by your fears."</p><p>"I..." he turned his eyes downward, "I do want things." he admitted, "I've always wanted things... but now... all I have is my fear."</p><p>"Your father is not a kind man, Zuko." he warned him, rising up to his feet, "I understand your reason for fearing him, and fearing what he could do to the people you love."</p><p>"I can't just do nothing."</p><p>"You're not doing nothing." he warned him, "And there's nothing wrong with taking a moment to rest, and refocus your strength." he explained their situation in a better light, before crossing his arms, "Zuko, what do you care about?"</p><p>"I care about the Fire Nation." he told him the first thing that came to mind, "I want to make sure our nation is as great as I was told it was." he explained, and the swordmaster raised a brow.</p><p>"And you don't think the Fire Nation is great?"</p><p>"Great at fighting." he admitted, "Not so great at... what comes after that."</p><p>"I agreed." he made a small smile, before placing a hand on the Prince's shoulder, "Zuko, how do you feel about what you told me your father is doing... not to your uncle, but to your nation?"</p><p>"I hate it." he admitted bluntly, "He wants to destroy our enemies. He wants to burn their country down with the comet." he stressed, "I can't let him do it. He'll doom... everyone. The Earth Kingdom will never forgive us... they would rise up and destroy us, even if it cost them their own lives." he admitted, "I can't let all of that happen."</p><p>"Death is not a pretty or honourable thing, Zuko." he admitted, "I have seen men die for their own pride, and for the pride of their nation. You understand why that is wrong."</p><p>"I do." he acknowledged, "I can't let anyone else suffer for his dream."</p><p>"That's it, Prince Zuko." he stressed, tapping on his sternum, "Your love for your nation is stronger than your fear of your father." he argued, "Use that, and forget your hatred. That will provide you with a power stronger than any anger or fear."</p><p>"I know." he admitted, clenching his fists as he turned away, "He was right."</p><p>"The Fire Lord?"</p><p>"No." he mumbled, before turning around, forcing a smile, "Thank you, Master. Your advice is just as inspiring as it was when I was a boy."</p><p>"Well, I'm glad I can be of use." he admitted, smiling at the Prince, "I'm no firebending master... but I know fighting."</p><p>"You're one of the best." he conceded, reminded of the mythic story surrounding Piandao and his defeat of a hundred soldiers, who tried to force him back into the army, "And you stand for what you believe is right."</p><p>"Like any honourable person should." he stressed, before gesturing down the hallway, "You can go wash up now. I'm sure you're tired after your sets."</p><p>He nodded, and turned around to pace down the hallway; he would go wash up, and then he'd probably go speak with Mai, considering that they hadn't spoken since breakfast, and only briefly then. She probably wasn't in a bad mood, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to mask her distaste, like she always did with her impenetrable gaze. Zuko wasn't that worried about her, but he couldn't help but wonder how she felt about their present circumstances; being housed by Piandao was far nicer than having to work on a ship, but they were far from home, and in constant fear about when his father's men would catch up with them. He knew it would happen sooner or later, and he was certain Mai knew that; as soon as they could act, they would go and face the traitors, and stop their hiding. Working in the shadows was something they were both skilled at, but living in them was something else entirely.</p><p>He made his way up the stairs, and quickly strode on down the hallway toward his bedroom; the door was shut, and he pulled it open, before stepping inside. On the bed, he had a few articles of clothing laid out, which he had put there after getting dressed the first time, as he already knew he'd get changed after his training; he picked up the robes and undergarments, rolled them up, and then held them by his waist as he stepped back out of the room, heading straight for the washroom that sat nearby. He approached the door with haste, and glanced back, checking if Mai was about; he guessed she was in her bedroom, reading from Piandao's library, something she said she'd be doing while they were there, given the size of the sword-master's collection.</p><p>When he pushed the door open, what he hadn't been expecting was to see Mai sitting by the washbowl, kneeling over with her waist covered by a towel. He almost cried out in surprise, and covered his mouth to prevent himself from doing that; he hadn't seen anything that would be irrefutably inappropriate, simply seeing her bare back, but that didn't make it any less of a shock. He realised in hindsight that he should have knocked, and cringed as she turned her head; for the first time in quite some time, her stoic face faltered, her eyes widening as she looked at him with a perplexed face.</p><p>"Turn around." she demanded snappily, the Prince immediately complying as he heard her shuffling around, and the sound of fabric moving about; he cringed, knowing that he'd made a pretty stupid mistake, and though he wanted to apologise, she didn't even seem that angry, though he was unsure whether that was actually the case, or she really was that good at masking her emotions.</p><p>"Knocking, Zuko." she chided him, before she tapped him on the shoulder, "You're just lucky I was done washing myself."</p><p>"Uh... yes." he agreed with her, nervously turning around to see that she'd pulled a white bathrobe over her body, covering it fully; she had her eyes narrowed at him, and her emotions were harder than usual to discern.</p><p>"You were looking for a lot longer than you should have." she warned him, and the Prince turned away, feeling ashamed of his actions, or rather, lack of action.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a pervert or anything." he tried to defend himself, and she rolled her eyes, before chuckling, patting the Prince on the shoulder before she stepped toward the door.</p><p>"Yes, I know that's the furthest thing from your mind." she admitted, though he couldn't be sure whether she was being sarcastic or not; when she turned around, she returned to a more serious tone, "How'd the lightning go? I heard an explosion a few minutes ago."</p><p>"Not well." he admitted, "But I've got to work out my thoughts... and then maybe I'll succeed."</p><p>"I guess it all is in the mindset." she noted, sounding ever so slightly amused, before she raised a hand, "Well, whatever, did you want to talk to me or something?"</p><p>"No, I'm here to wash." he admitted, and she raised her chin up.</p><p>"Yeah, you stink." she commented, and the Prince shrunk back a little as he remembered his intentions.</p><p>"But... I do want to talk to you. Once I'm done." he explained, and her eyes narrowed on him, scanning down his body.</p><p>"About what?" she asked, and the tone was notably suspicious; he didn't know what she was thinking, but he guessed that she could have drawn some inaccurate conclusions from his accidental peeping.</p><p>"How you feel about our situation." he told her the honest truth, and she chuckled.</p><p>"Oh, how I feel?" she asked, "I'm not Ty Lee, you know. I can't just talk about my feelings all the time." she reminded him, making the Prince chuckle a little.</p><p>"Uh, yeah." he noted, before shaking his head, "Do you not like it here?"</p><p>"It depends." she admitted, making the Prince raise a brow.</p><p>"Depends on what?"</p><p>"You." she simply told him, making him laugh, nervous as to what she meant by that.</p><p>"Me?" he asked, stepping back into the washroom, "You're your own person, Mai. You can be happy without having to worry about me."</p><p>"That's not what I'm talking about, Zuko." she chided him, clearly frustrated by his comment; he narrowed his eyes, realising that she might have meant 'you' in a different way- she wanted to know what he wanted to do.</p><p>"Sorry." he quietly apologised, before narrowing his eyes at her, "What do you want me to do?"</p><p>"Be your usual dorky self." she clarified, "And then we'll see what happens." she added, before striding over to the door, moving to close it for him, "I'll see you at my room, Zuko."</p><p>He tensed up, making an awkward smile as he stood there, and simply responded with the first thing that came to mind, "Yeah."</p><p>She pushed the door shut, and he heard her footsteps moving off into the distance; Zuko turned around, and raised his hands to his head, realising what she had been trying to imply through her words.</p><p>"Zuko, you moron."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Arrogant Mortals And Dead Heroes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>As Azula strode along the table, eyes of experienced men, admirals and generals, were all upon her and her father as they approached their seats; the interest that she garnered through their gazes was more than pleasing, as it assured her that she wasn't just looked over because of her sex and youth. Princess Azula was an heir of her nation, and perhaps, one day, would be its ruler, and they recognised that; after all, it was not her elder brother who was going to sit by her father's right side, but her. When she sat down, she turned her gaze to her uncle, who was sitting across from her and her father, by the end of the table, closest to his father, Fire Lord Azulon, who was overseeing the war meeting with his usual distant, but ever present gaze.</em>
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  <em>"Prince Ozai, Princess Azula." the Fire Lord addressed them, before clearing his throat, his attention turning to the table of men that had assembled before him, "Now that my sons are here, we may begin the meeting. Admiral Chan, your report." he raised his hand up, gesturing toward one of the men on the table, sitting just across from her.</em>
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  <em>The officer rose to his feet, and pulled out a scroll, "Thank you, your majesty." he addressed the Fire Lord, before he began to read out his report, "The Fire Navy now has complete control over the Eastern Sea, with the pirates operating out of Lanyanwan captured and their vessels scuttled. The last remnants of the Earth Kingdom's navy still eludes us in the Northern Sea, but our control over all the major ports along the coast means it is only a matter of time before we narrow down their base of operations."</em>
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  <em>"What if they took refuge with the Northern Water Tribe?" another officer asked him, and before the Admiral could respond, another man spoke up, near the end of the table, but loudly enough for them all to hear.</em>
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  <em>"They can't." the officer declared, and Azula raised a brow, finding his statement to be rather self-assured.</em>
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  <em>"They can't?" Chan asked him, before gesturing toward the officer, "Please, Commander Zhao, explain why you believe that?"</em>
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  <em>"I know it. I have spent years fighting the Northern Water Tribe and exploring their waters, sir. The Earth Kingdom Navy, whatever remains of it, could only be a few wooden junks, perhaps large enough to put a few hundred men on." he explained his guess on what the remaining Earth Kingdom ships might be like, "Those ships would be slow and fragile and would almost certainly wreck themselves before they reached the Northern Water Tribe's sanctuary."</em>
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  <em>"You mean to say they lack any icebreakers whatsoever?" another officer asked, and the Commander nodded.</em>
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  <em>"Precisely. The Earth Kingdom is poor, and they've always focused on their ground forces. That's why it took a hundred years to conquer Ba Sing Se, and exactly why they wouldn't have the means to reach the Northern Water Tribe. If they had had it, they would have recruited them to their cause. They certainly had the manpower to force the North into joining their side." he explained his reasoning for why the Earth Kingdom fleet was not in the North Pole, which Azula found to be surprisingly satisfactory.</em>
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  <em>"Well, the Commander has raised a good point." Ozai spoke up, "The Northern Water Tribe is inaccessible for anyone without ships capable of traversing their waters." he concluded, or rather, summarised what Zhao had already said, "So, I propose the navy focus on the coast, and try to find these last Earth Kingdom ships and destroy them."</em>
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  <em>"That is what is necessary." Chan agreed with him, before turning to face Zhao, "Thank you, Commander."</em>
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  <em>The Commander smirked confidently, glad that he had been recognised; perhaps he had a similar intention to her when he came into that meeting. She wanted to be recognised and respected by his superiors, so she might be able to take a greater role in serving her nation, just as her cousin had done before her, even if he had been fighting as a soldier instead of sitting in war councils.</em>
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  <em>"Admiral, please continue." the Fire Lord spoke up, sounding annoyed by the interruption.</em>
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  <em>"Of course, your majesty. The Western Fleet has been focused on containing the threat of a group of marauders who are believed to be from the Southern Water Tribe."</em>
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  <em>"They should not pose a threat." Azulon declared coldly, "I annihilated them." he stressed, the Admiral tensing up, before nodding</em>
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  <em>"Yes, they are weak, without their benders, but they seem to be continuing their efforts to undermine our war effort and supply chains." Chan stressed his point, "They are the only military force capable of threatening us at sea, and unlike the Earth Kingdom's meagre forces, they can escape beyond our reach by beaching their vessels, or travelling back south to the frozen wastes from where they came."</em>
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  <em>"Perhaps we should occupy their lands, and destroy the threat at its root." Azula's father suggested, and she smirked, realising she had something she could advise.</em>
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  <em>"Taking their waterbenders did not break their spirit." she explained what was clear enough, "Maybe they need to be educated about their proper place, Father." she suggested, and Ozai smirked; across the table, her uncle didn't seem to approve of the idea.</em>
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  <em>"Now, we don't need to act too rashly." Iroh warned them, "Agitating them further may only incite more fervent resistance. What if they come to attack our lands, raid our villages, and kill the people of our nation?"</em>
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  <em>"They can't, Uncle." Azula suggested, "The Home Forces are ready to face off any raids. They would annihilate them. They couldn't possibly be that stupid."</em>
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  <em>"Oh, my daughter, you overestimate the wit of these savages." Ozai warned her, and a moment later, the flames of the throne grew brighter.</em>
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  <em>"Enough of your bickering." Azulon snarled with a cold, seething voice, and he raised a finger, "The Southern Raiders are doing more than enough to suppress the savages. They cannot defeat us, and that is the end of it. Their lands are of little use to be occupied, and their people would, as the Crown Prince just said, rise up against us in fury; wiping out a few poor villages would not be worth the thousands of soldiers who would die in the process of annihilating those savages." he explained the situation, rebuking both Azula and her father, before turning his attention back to Chan ,"Was that the whole report?"</em>
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  <em>"Yes, your majesty." he confirmed with a bow, before dropping down to his seat.</em>
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  <em>"Good. Now, I believe that General Bujing had a proposal concerning the Earth Kingdom forces guarding the north-west coast of Omashu Province." the Fire Lord clarified the next matter on the agenda, and the aforementioned general rose up to his feet; the old and seemingly confident general had a smirk on his lips, and held up the pointer staff that would indicate troop movements.</em>
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  <em>"I do, your majesty." he stressed, before pointing the staff toward a group of Fire Nation soldiers; the twenty-third division, to be specific, as was indicated by the number on the tile representing the group, "This division of soldiers have been fighting in the thick of the Southern Campaign, and took part in the capture of Gaoling six months ago. I believe they would be well suited to draw the enemy out."</em>
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  <em>"What do you propose the division be used for, General?" Ozai asked him, sounding curious about his plan, if not a little excited, if one could even say her father got excited about anything.</em>
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  <em>"At Gaoling, the local defenders were holed up in a mountain, and refusing to surrender, mining the ground around our troops, causing grave amounts of casualties." he explained, before smirking, "But the twenty-third division, not directly involved in this fight, decided to seize upon the only power they held against these staunch fighters- their families. They imprisoned the wives, children, elders... everyone they could get their hands on that was associated with the soldiers. They then took each of them up toward the mountain, and set them out for the enemy to see." he explained, and Iroh turned his head, as he seemed to realise where the story was going.</em>
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  <em>"General, please, you don't need to explain any more." he pleaded, but Bujing continued, in defiance of the Prince's request.</em>
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  <em>"It is important that the men of this table hear this, your highness. The commander of the division, General Heizi, declared that if the soldiers did not surrender, they would start to beat, burn and torture their families. After a few children were burned, and some old crones died, some of the Earth Kingdom soldiers rose up, killed their commanding officer, and threw his body down the slope, before surrendering." he explained what had occurred, "Their leader would have died on that mountain and fought until the end, but the common man doesn't want to see his children burned alive for the sake of a dead country."</em>
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  <em>"So, General, you are proposing that we do it again." Ozai concluded, with an impressed smirk on his face, "That ruthlessness is admirable. The enemy's stubbornness will always be their undoing."</em>
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  <em>"That is what I was told in the academy when I was her age." Bujing gestured to Azula, who was a little amused to wonder that the general before her could have ever been anything other than a conniving old man, "And it has stuck true to this very day. I propose the twenty-third division move toward the base of General Fong, and round up the inhabitants of the villages and towns surrounding it. They will threaten their lives, and if the enemy does not surrender themselves, those innocents will suffer for the defiance of their countrymen."</em>
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  <em>"That is a sound plan, General." Azulon congratulated him, though he wasn't very enthusiastic in his tone, "I believe that will be the most effective way to neutralise those forces, and leave Omashu without any allies to fall back on." he gave his thoughts, before turning his gaze down to his eldest son, perhaps the most skilled and experienced military commander in the room, barring the Fire Lord himself, "Prince Iroh, do you find fault with the General's plan?"</em>
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  <em>"I do not doubt that it will succeed." he admitted, turning his gaze toward Bujing, "It is one way we could defeat that force of fighters."</em>
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  <em>"Do you have a counter proposal?" Ozai asked his brother, who crossed his arms.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Bujing's plan requires us to shatter the enemy's willpower." he noted, "But, the Earth Kingdom is gone. They need not to fear for their families. I am sure every single one of those soldiers is dreading the day our soldiers arrive, scale their walls and slaughter them."</em>
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  <em>"And they will, if the stubborn fools don't surrender." Bujing declared confidently; Iroh seemed unfazed by his words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They might." he agreed, though obviously not with the plan, but simply with the inevitable outcome, "They are people. People can be reasoned with, and reasoning with them will provide them with a loss far more important than one of men."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A loss of their morale." Azulon described exactly what his son was suggesting, "That is true. Other garrisons across the Earth Kingdom might feel that the war is lost, as they should, and once they see that they can survive without fighting to the death, they will kneel before my rule."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They have no other choice, Father." Iroh conceded the fact of the matter; Azula glanced to her left, and noted that her own father didn't approve of the idea, probably thinking a slaughter to be more a fitting fate for their enemy.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azula, on the other hand, didn't know; she was not a master strategist yet, and she knew that either method would be valid. Threatening the families of soldiers would force them to surrender, just as negotiating their surrender would do the same. Their defeat could also be made certain by destroying them, but just as Bujing and her uncle had proven, it was not the only way; destroying their enemies, such as the Air Nomads, or the waterbenders of the South Pole, was a method that seemed to only be reserved for the most dire of conflicts, where the enemy's survival would itself be a threat to the Fire Nation as a whole.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Whatever was decided, she could be sure of one thing: her father and uncle didn't agree on much, and where the war ought to go, and how it ought to be conducted was probably the most stark area of disagreement. She wondered, just for a moment, what Zuko would think; he might be like her, and remain undecided, unlearned in the ways of war, or perhaps, declare the action of harming the innocent families against the rules of war, and tout Bujing as a traitor; perhaps he was, at least a traitor to the principles of dignity and honour that her nation prided itself on, but he certainly believed and fought for the one thing they all desired- a great victory, one that would be certain and lauded in history. Azula would find that some day, if her uncle was willing to give her the place she would be deserving of, fulfilling his commands and destroying his enemies as a general of their nation; there was no greater honour, and she smiled for a moment, just imagining what she could achieve, and the stories people might tell of her victories.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Princess Azula sometimes just wished she could have had a less dignified ship, as every time she sailed into a navy port, she was immediately greeted by the commander of the local garrison, and any navy officers in the port, who by virtue of her rank, were obliged to pay their respects. She was fourteen years old, and honestly, would prefer if they left the bowing and sycophancy until after she had done something worthy of the respect her uncle had fairly received for his great conquest of Ba Sing Se and long service as a general of their nation. She had captured the Avatar, but let him escape; part of her thought herself a complete failure and a fool for letting that happen, and sympathising in the slightest with a pacifist Air Nomad, but another part of her knew that she had done what was right.</p><p>Aang was not her enemy, and he did not stand in the way of her aims, at least not yet; the Fire Nation ruled the world, so there was only one real enemy left for them to fight, which had become more apparent the more she considered what her father had been doing ever since Lu Ten died. The Fire Nation was its own greatest enemy, and the war that was on the horizon was not one to bring prosperity and unite the nations, but to destroy what they had taken, and make their past efforts worthless. The very idea of her cousin's death ultimately having no service to their nation, and perhaps, harming it, was both infuriating and fulfilling. Knowing that with him alive, they would be a stronger, more united country made her feel like he was worthy of everything she desired for herself, and everything her uncle seemed to be squandering.</p><p>So as she sat on her deck, with a table to seat the garrison commander and a few navy officers for a tea banquet, she wished that she could be somewhere else, or at the very least, could have been bequeathed at birth a fraction of the patience and affability her uncle wielded as weapons against friend and foe alike. They seemed to enjoy the tea, and that was a good distraction, and meant she didn't have to constantly make excuses ad verbatim about her incidental failure to capture the Avatar, something so degrading to her character that she wished she had kept Aang in that room just to keep the high brass' opinion of her just as great as it was when she advised alongside her father and uncle in war councils.</p><p>"Your highness, might I say, there's been much rumours about the events in Omashu." one of the officers spoke up, and she forced herself to not roll her eyes.</p><p>Her uncle's inability to control the narrative of the conflict that had been brewing was not helping his plans to unite the nation against Ozai, and without declaring her father a traitor, they ultimately weren't going to be able to achieve much, unless she was bold enough to face her own father off in an Agni Kai, something that seemed so foolish that she doubted Zuko, in all his fury and arrogance, would never even consider.</p><p>"What kind of rumours?" she asked the question required of her; he obviously wanted to gauge her opinion on the situation, as perhaps, he already suspected the forces behind the assassins.</p><p>She couldn't reveal her father's complicity, at least not until she had her uncle's permission, which she did not. She had not yet heard back from him since she sent a letter concerning Zuko's state, but she guessed that he was having the Order of the White Lotus investigate his and Mai's whereabouts before he decided to make his move.</p><p>"That the Fire Lord killed his pursuers... with the help of a Water Tribe warrior." he explained, and her eyes widened; she didn't think officers would be talking about Sokka of all people, though it made sense from the perspective of whoever was supporting her father- it made her uncle look like a sympathiser to their declared enemies, and made his loyalties seem vaguer, something her father would most likely abuse.</p><p>"Yes, he did." she decided to be truthful about it, knowing that lying would just garner more suspicion on the behalf of those who didn't know the facts for certain; they might create rumours that were untrue, and that would further endanger her uncle's position as Fire Lord.</p><p>"That's... interesting." one of the other officers noted, placing his hands together as he seemed to consider whatever he had already heard about the fight, "Why would a Water Tribesman be with the Fire Lord... how could a savage be in the favour of the Fire Lord?"</p><p>"He was not." Azula stressed, "I freed him, because he was an associate of my target, the Avatar. I required him to leave Earth Kingdom territory, so I got rid of the problem by sending his associate on his way, to avoid the Avatar making unnecessary contact with our enemies." she lied through her teeth about her reasons, knowing that she'd have to explain it in a way that made her seem like she was towing the line of containing the Avatar, and was in no way trying to assist him.</p><p>"Is the Avatar trying to rile up the Earth Kingdom against us?" the same officer asked her, "That would be... a serious threat."</p><p>"One I am considering. The threat is not the Avatar himself in that regard; the warrior who assisted my uncle against his pursuers might have otherwise thought us to be his enemies. Persuading the Avatar against fighting us and threatening our great nation's security is my utmost priority; he needn't be captured if he does not fight."</p><p>"Air Nomads were reputed to be extreme pacifists, were they not?" one officer asked the others, and they nodded in agreement.</p><p>"That is quite tact of you, your highness." one officer acknowledged her wit, or at least, her lies which she disguised as a complex, well-thought out strategy, "Turning the Avatar to our side... or at least, making sure he doesn't pick one. That involves a lot less resources than a naval campaign to capture him."</p><p>"Would have you preferred that?" she dared to ask the officers, who looked amongst themselves, and their expressions told her exactly what she had guessed; they'd all wanted to seize her prize, and now she was telling them it was a worthless cause, they all realised their foolishness.</p><p>"We did not prefer anything. It was the will of your father that the Avatar be contained, and if necessary captured, so that he would not threaten our forces in the Earth Kingdom." one of them clarified, and placed her hands together.</p><p>"Well, my father trusts me to do what I set out to do. He always has. I will not fail him. Needlessly agitating potential enemies will only lead to further conflict."</p><p>"The Fire Nation does not avoid fights it can win, your highness." the garrison commander stressed, obviously thinking highly of their military forces; Azula did too, but that didn't mean she would overestimate them in comparison to perhaps the most powerful being in the world.</p><p>"And our nation will not win in a real fight against the Avatar. Do you all recall what it took for the last Avatar to die?" she asked them, knowing that they had only heard the 'official' version of events concerning her great-grandfather's demise.</p><p>"I believe it was a volcano, your highness." one officer nervously conceded, "Avatar Roku was a powerful man."</p><p>"Every Avatar has the potential to be as strong as a master of all elements because they are just that. Just because they have died and been reborn does not mean their spirit forgets what they have learned over and over. And just like the Avatar Spirit, the Fire Nation should not be forgetful of their power, and the danger it poses to everything we have built."</p><p>"The Air Nomads fell to Sozin's Comet a century ago." one officer noted, stroking the goatee he had flowing from his chin, "Would that suffice as a substitute for a volcano, if wielded by, let's say, the Fire Lord himself?"</p><p>"The Fire Lord is a master of our element, and I have no doubts that he might be able to win such a fight, even if the Avatar Spirit had all its powers to show for." she conceded, knowing her uncle was undeniably the most powerful firebender alive; he merely lacked the reasons to use his strength in such a violent and forceful manner anymore, "That does not mean that such a battle should be desired. What is to say for all the men who might die needlessly alongside their great leader?"</p><p>"That is an honour that any citizen of our nation would be glad to receive." one officer touted something that she disagreed with greatly.</p><p>For one, he probably wouldn't want to die in the name of victory for his nation, but instead, be lauded by his monarch and showered with honours, alive rather than dead, so he could enjoy it. Another thing was Lu Ten, who loomed over her thoughts like he was an actual apparition, constantly tapping her on the forehead and reminding her of his completely avoidable death.</p><p>"Oh, glad?" she let her visage of calmness and affability break, knowing that she couldn't lie about that; she could lie to her father's face and tell him she would hunt the Avatar to the ends of the earth if it would keep him at bay for just a few moments, but she would never deny the truth about her cousin, because the pain of doing so would break her like a lightning bolt to her chest- dishonouring not her cousin's memory, but the contending some magical, great reason for his sacrifice, "What's your name and rank?" she asked the officer, wanting to make her words a little more personal for a change.</p><p>"Commander Houken, your highness." he gave his name and rank, and his eyes told her he already realised what had happened; he had earned her ire, for saying something, that to any other person, would seem like the right and dignified manner to refer to the soldiers of their nation.</p><p>"Commander, do you know what a hero is?" he asked him, and he glanced at his comrades, who seemed intimidated by her tone as she rose to her feet, standing above Houken with a hawkish glare.</p><p>"A h-hero?" he murmured, "A hero is somebody who fights for the greater good. Somebody who dies for their nation, they are a hero." he admitted, connecting the dots in the exact manner she wanted him to.</p><p>"And Commander, what becomes of a hero, once he dies?" she asked, "Does he somehow live on in death... as if his greatness made him special compared to the rest of us, those less enlightened individuals?"</p><p>"Everyone dies, your highness." he conceded, "Heroes just the same."</p><p>"That's right. So... is there any difference between a peasant man who dies protecting his village, which is being burnt down by our soldiers, to be forgotten as his kin and neighbours die or are scattered across the land, and a man who died serving his country, remembered for his deeds and virtue?" she asked, "Both die for what they believe in, both die in pain and anguish." she stressed, pointing her finger down at the Commander, "Do you think that peasant is a hero?"</p><p>"N-no. The peasant is just doing what he needs to survive." he gave his opinion, and Azula raised her chin up.</p><p>"There is no honour in death, Commander. Even beside my uncle, the greatest general in our nation's history, there is no honour. There is only pain and anguish. Not just for that hero, but for everyone who wished him well when he went off to fight for his country; his friends, his family, perhaps the one he loves most." she explained the outcome as she knew it was, "Did you know a hero, Commander?"</p><p>"No, I haven't been honoured by their presence." he conceded, and Azula scoffed.</p><p>"You create heroes, Commander. The men you command to assault a village, or a rebel hideout, they will die in the service of their country. That is a great power you wield, and I recommend you use it with an understanding of what you are creating."</p><p>"There is nothing wrong with honouring our fallen, your highness. They are the ones we continue to fight for, in their memory." another officer tried to take the side of Houken, and she raised a finger.</p><p>"I am not talking of simply creating heroes. Heroes are a fiction." she stressed the fact of the matter; she would never view herself as a hero, even if she had great deeds to her name, the kind that she would be lauded in history books for; Azula had no care for the image she would receive, but rather, the actual result of her actions.</p><p>"Then what would I create?"</p><p>"Angry families, weeping for their dead sons and daughters. Broken soldiers, in both mind and body. A populace who knows war far better than you ever will, Commander Houken." she warned him, "What do you think they will think of the men who sent their children, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers to die?"</p><p>"That somebody better should lead them to victory." she heard a voice that wasn't meant to be on the table; Azula turned her head around to see that somebody had climbed the plank up to her Royal Barge.</p><p>Though she had invited everyone at the dock to her ship, as was custom, she did not know nor expect the man who was standing before her; Commander Zhao, whose smirk and posture told her that he had more to say than answer her questions on the nature of war.</p><p>"Commander Zhao." she addressed him, not bowing as he was far below her in rank and worth as an individual; she knew he was quite intelligent and knowledgeable, as he had proved on war councils and at sea, where he thrashed the enemy of their nations, but he certainly was not a wise man, nor was he a humble one, "I was not informed you were in port."</p><p>"I just arrived to resupply my ships, your highness." he explained, stepping closer to the table, "A tea banquet." he observed, "If it wouldn't intrude, could I join you?" he asked rather politely, and the Princess turned around, gesturing to the servants who were standing on the ready.</p><p>"Brew some more tea. The Commander needs something fresh." she decided, knowing that she ought to give him the same visage she had held up until Houken's words agitated her; she couldn't refuse a guest, and she didn't want to make an enemy of the man who she knew was smart enough to play into the conflicts that were already brewing around them.</p><p>"Thank you, your highness." he bowed to her, before his expression shifted, "Your conversation was... rather interesting."</p><p>"Oh, it was not a conversation." she clarified, "I was merely lecturing this man on the nature of his power, and the dangers it poses to us all." she admitted, narrowing her eyes at the other officers, "I meant what I said." she stressed, and they nodded.</p><p>"We apologise, your highness." one of them tried to take a more conciliatory stance, "We understand that you only want to advise us on being greater leaders."</p><p>"Yes, that is all I desire." she agreed with the proposition, finding it to be a useful cover for her real intention, which was to remind them of the result of their actions.</p><p>She didn't want to betray the Fire Nation because of Lu Ten's demise, but she could certainly see that people losing their family like she had would only make them hate the men leading them into war, and the war itself. She did not hate war, but simply was frustrated by its futility, and knew that solving conflicts more efficiently, with less losses, which perhaps was what Zhao thought of when making his comment.</p><p>"Those who can should rise to the challenge, your highness. Countless deaths aren't something we should accept as being necessary." he acknowledged, "Victory can be attained through... other means."</p><p>She was actually surprised how well his own mindset aligned with her own, and she smirked, gesturing for him to sit, "Please, Commander, I'm sure you have news to tell us from your own duties."</p><p>"I do." he admitted, sitting down cross-legged near the Princess, who dropped back down to her seat, "I've been assigned to assist you, actually." he admitted, making her raise a brow.</p><p>"Sorry, assist me?" she asked, confused by the revelation, "Why am I learning this right now?" she asked, the Princess narrowing her eyes.</p><p>"Did your father not tell you that he was sending me to help you recover the Avatar?" he asked, and Azula clenched her fists, knowing that her father could have only done that on purpose, to catch her off guard, and make sure she couldn't prepare to deal with Zhao; she didn't know if the Commander was in the conspiracy, but it was clear that he wanted to make the most of Aang's return, and her father had just given him the opportunity on a platter.</p><p>"Perhaps he did not want to distract me from my search. I have been very busy lately." she described what she might have said if she did not know about what he had done to her brother; Zuko was getting in his way before he had dealt with him forcefully, and Azula wasn't exactly doing what she was supposed to, at least in his eyes.</p><p>She had a feeling that her father was not just sending Zhao to help her; he lacked control, with Lo and Li out of the picture, and now, the Commander could make sure she did her job. Azula was going to do exactly what Iroh told her, and this revelation only complicated matters; if she could discern the Admiral's loyalty, perhaps she could sway him to assist her, given that any opportunity to extend his own power would be met with loyalty. She had heard of his plans to invade the Northern Water Tribe, and was sure that he had aspirations far greater than commanding a few ships to patrol the waters of the Southern Sea.</p><p>"I apologise if this has come as a shock, your highness. I didn't mean to frustrate your efforts."</p><p>"You are not frustrating me, Commander." she stressed, not wanting him to think that his arrival would change her plans in the slightest, "I know that your assistance will be of great use to me, and to our nation."</p><p>Even if she would have to work around him, the plan was still the same; the Fire Navy could not capture Aang, and she would do whatever in her power to prevent that from happening. Having a direct line of contact to the man her father assigned to the very task of hunting down the Avatar would prove very useful, assuming Zhao could be fooled. His intelligence was not to be underestimated, though she could certainly play into the man's flaws- his arrogance and vanity.</p><p>"Thank you, your highness. I am glad that you and your father have trust in my abilities to get things done." he smiled at her, and she tensed up, unsure if he was being genuine when he said that; he was certainly a liar, like any of the other officers on the table, but his skill in that regard was still in question.</p><p>"Well, Commander, have your men spotted the Avatar?" she asked Zhao, who nodded, raising his hand up.</p><p>"Twice." he clarified, raising two of his fingers to indicate that fact, "A few days ago one of my subordinates spotted the sky-bison by the western coast of the Earth Kingdom. They gave pursuit, but were unable to follow them inland." he explained, sounding slightly annoyed by the failure, "I ordered them to sail north, but the sky-bison did not appear over the water again." he added.</p><p>"And the second time?"</p><p>"The sky-bison was spotted by another ship yesterday, but it was flying overland, and disappeared soon after. I've sent out letters to the local garrisons, and hopefully, they will return with some intelligence that may be of use to us, your highness."</p><p>"Good." she smirked, wanting to at least seem pleased about the matter; she had been focusing on narrowing down Ty Lee's location, but she had yet to be informed of the location of the circus where her friend was working, "I have been searching the area myself. I already knew the Avatar had been travelling north." she added to try and emphasise her 'plans', as they appeared to be.</p><p>Even if that was technically true, she was merely trailing Aang to ensure that he and his friends weren't caught, and if they were, that she could diffuse the situation; what was more important was the fact that the circus was most likely nearby, though where exactly was a struggle for her to determine. She assumed it was the general vicinity of the port where she was, given that Ty Lee had indicated in a letter before her journey that the circus travelled in the area to the south of the main Fire Nation colonies, which she was quickly nearing as she approached the Mo Ce Sea, and so far, had yet to receive any intelligence that would indicate the circus was in the colonies she had passed by.</p><p>"Are there any military installations near where the Avatar could pose a threat? Perhaps prisons or labour camps. Those are the kind of places an Avatar would want to seek support... given most of the Earth Kingdom's forces are now in hiding." she asked the men on the table, and a few of them nodded.</p><p>"Yes, your highness." one of them confirmed, "There's a shipbuilding rig off the western coast to the north of here where imprisoned earthbenders work, as well as a few forts where we have some non-bending soldiers interned, mostly clearing woodland for the new railroad connecting the mines at Gangpubu to the colony of Shahekou." he explained, the Princess raising a finger to her chin.</p><p>"Those are the places the Avatar might pose a threat. Air Nomads are quite... obsessed with freedom and fairness. That's how they operated their society, and the Avatar, being from those people, most likely holds the same values." she explained, knowing her plan was not to actually find Aang, but merely keep Zhao and his men occupied with beefing up the security of some military installations while she went and found Ty Lee.</p><p>"Liberating prisoners would be a foolish act on his behalf." Zhao contended, "We have more than enough soldiers to contain a prison break, and that's without calling in the navy." he argued, the Princess nodding.</p><p>"That is true, but avoiding such a situation should be our priority. The Avatar cannot be allowed to disrupt our nation's focus. If our enemies gain a chance to strike at us because of a momentary distraction, it will be because we did not treat our occupation of these lands seriously." she stressed, and the Commander nodded, seeming to understand her point.</p><p>"I see that, your highness. They will fail, if they try to revolt with his help." he declared, "And we can make sure of it."</p><p>"I do not doubt the capability of our nation's soldiers." she stressed, before narrowing her eyes at him, staring into his own sharp glare, "They must be ready to prevent such threats, and, if necessary, to negotiate. Our military strength is unparalleled, but that does not make the Avatar any less of a danger if he sees us as his enemies."</p><p>"Negotiating with the enemies of our nation is not something commonplace, your highness." one of the officers conceded, "How do you propose this... situation be handled?"</p><p>"There is not much we can do, but I do recommend one thing." she admitted, "The Avatar is an Air Nomad, who were known to be pacifists, averse to violence. However, we should not simply believe him incapable of violence because of that. If we suppress potential revolts too forcefully, we will instigate a reaction that we might not be able to defeat. Escalation is exactly what needs to be avoided when your potential opponent has the power of countless past lives just waiting to be harnessed."</p><p>"So, you propose we act... what, kindly to our enemies?" Zhao asked her, seeming skeptical of such an argument.</p><p>"Kindness has nothing to do with it. Public executions, forced labour, and the expulsion of civilians is something that the Earth Kingdom most likely despises us for, and the Avatar will as well if those acts continue. We are not in the Earth Kingdom to rob the locals of everything they own and to kill every last earthbender; we are here to rule, and expand our nation. That was always our intention, was it not?" </p><p>"We are here to rule." Zhao conceded, "We are the superior nation, and it is only right that we lead the world to a glorious future." he added the token nationalistic argument that was all too common the tables where she sat; she no longer held them with the esteem she once did, but she at least considered the principle to be fair, and if she could use that principle to persuade Zhao to doing things in a less confrontational manner, then perhaps she wouldn't be forced to choose between fighting her own people and fighting the Avatar.</p><p>"So, you see what must be done?"</p><p>"The war is almost over. Leniency... however much is needed, may provide our men with some breathing room, and perhaps, the rebels will think twice about rising up. When our soldiers slaughter a few bandit gangs and rebuild their roads, perhaps the locals will look upon us as they always should have. Liberators from their pitiful lives under a pitiful excuse of a nation." he argued, before smirking, glancing behind her, "Oh, is that my tea?"</p><p>A servant walked past Azula, and holding a pot in hand, and immediately moved to pour Commander Zhao his tea; the Commander's eyes momentarily were on the servant, before he turned back to the Princess, "You are quite different from what I remembered, your highness. I see that your time at see has provided you with new insights into the art of war and governance."</p><p>"It has." she agreed, a half-lie, as she certainly had a better understanding of what was wrong with their nation, and how they had been fighting, and how they had governed themselves and the people they had sought to make subjects of the Fire Lord, "Is the tea good?" she asked, and he nodded.</p><p>"Oh, it's quite nice. This is jasmine, correct?"</p><p>"Only the finest from the palace's stores." she added, "My uncle was sure to provide me with it when I left the capital. He has spoken at length on the merit of a good tea."</p><p>"And how is his majesty? I heard you fought alongside him against the fools who tried to kill him."</p><p>"In good spirits... for a man who has almost died twice in the past month." she simply put her thoughts to words, "He will have orders for you, Commander." she added, and he raised a brow.</p><p>"Personally?"</p><p>"Well, if you are to assist me in handling the Avatar, the greatest threat to our nation, then of course the Fire Lord will want to dispense orders to you directly."</p><p>"I'm looking forward to seeing his seal in my messenger hawk coop."</p><p>"You might be surprised." she warned him, knowing that even if he didn't know what she was talking about, it might help to warn him of what may be coming his way; if he wasn't loyal to Ozai, then 'hunting' the Avatar was not going to be his greatest concern in the slightest, and if he was, then he would soon find a lightning bolt in his chest.</p><p>Azula did not hate many people, and if she did the deed, it would merely be to fulfil her responsibilities as a Princess of the Fire Nation. Hunting down and eliminating traitors was something that she was more than prepared to do, long before she had found out about her father's conspiracy; it seemed that sooner, rather than later, she would be putting her skills to the test. Aang would not need to worry about Zhao, or anyone else for that matter coming his way; he would have to worry about getting in the way of her obligations.</p><p>Princess Azula would never give in to fear and forget her duties; they came first, before any friendship, loyalties or personal grudges; Zhao could be a friend or a foe, and for now, he would remain an ally, somebody she could never trust, but had to give responsibility to, lest he decide to act on his own desire for fame and respect, which might end up being more dangerous than any loyalty he could hold to Ozai.</p>
<hr/><p>The market of Shu Jing wasn't very large, but Mai was glad that she could get what she required from it; with her and Zuko staying at the estate with Piandao and Fat, it was only fair that they went off to acquire whatever food and supplies the sword master would require to ensure the household ran smoothly. He gave them some money to spend, and though she had considered asking where exactly he acquired the money, she just guessed it was from the students he would receive from across the Fire Nation.</p><p>Nobody had come to the estate since they arrived, other than the local armourer who bought some swords off of Piandao; the master made some reasonable coin off of the weapons, but she knew that it couldn't be his only source of income. The estate was well maintained, and she was sure that he had money to spend to make sure that was the case; she wasn't necessarily suspicious of the sword master, but she didn't really understand how he got around. Perhaps the Order of the White Lotus, who he was a part of, required weapons, for whatever they actually did, which seemed to be shady, more often that not, and he was paid for the service of supplying them.</p><p>She had asked Zuko about it, and he simply told her that Piandao was an honourable man, and that he would only be partaking in business he would find to be right and not the kind that was criminal or dangerous to innocents. He was certainly quite a peaceful man, for somebody who trained with and mastered the art of using a blade, which she understood had been used for fighting for their nation in the past; he reminded her of the Fire Lord, in that way, given that from what she understood, he had forsaken violence after his long service to the Fire Nation as a General. Azula and Zuko both told her that he hadn't fought in battle since Ba Sing Se, and had no intention of doing so, though she had a feeling that with assassins after him, he would more than likely break that streak of non-violence.</p><p>The Prince hadn't spoken about his uncle for some time, and she guessed that was because he was nervously anticipating news from the Order of the White Lotus, or from the Fire Nation military itself, about the whereabouts and condition of the Fire Lord. The Prince was clearly concerned about him, and whenever he was mentioned in conversation, either by herself or Piandao, he would shift in demeanour. He was never agitated about him, but merely nervous, and she felt sorry for him about it.</p><p>She guessed that her parents might be feeling the same about her, and that made her feel a little guilty that she hadn't left a message to assure them of her status. She hadn't because she knew that if Ozai and his men were watching her father, given his position as a high ranking bureaucrat in the government, working in the palace, it would only be a matter of time before Ozai realised he knew something, or that her father confronted the Prince for his misdeeds.</p><p>She was glad for their ignorance, as it protected them from the dangers that she and Zuko had faced; that was why she was concerned about Azula, who most likely was already on the tail of her father's plotting, and certainly so if she had figured out the coded message she had sent. Knowing that if her father could just as easily have his own son attacked, that 'dealing' with her would not be out of the question either, and that unlike her and Zuko, he would most likely know exactly where she was.</p><p>Zuko tapped her on the shoulder, taking her from her thoughts about Azula, and she straightened her face, afraid that she had accidentally let her expressions shift and reveal her inner thoughts; she didn't want him being worried about her as well. The goal was to get what Piandao required, and bring it back to the estate at once; it wasn't a large list, and they'd be able to carry it all themselves, so she wanted to get it done, but standing in line for buying some greens from the local grocer had left her lost in her thoughts.</p><p>"What's wrong?" he asked her, and she turned her gaze away from him, hoping to distract him with something more oriented toward their task.</p><p>"We've been waiting here for too long." she admitted, "Maybe we should split up and you can get some of this." she gestured down to the list their host had written down for them, and the Prince nodded, seemingly fooled by her distraction, and left unaware of her actual feelings.</p><p>"Uh, yeah, that makes sense." he almost mumbled, sounding still a little suspicious, but he took the list into his hands, and glanced down it, before he nodded, giving it back to her, "I'll go get the bags of rice. They'll be the heaviest of the things, so I can start carrying them back to the estate. You can get the vegetables, and meet me on the way." he explained, and she nodded, agreeing to the preposition; it would save them time, which she would prefer to spend in the house, reading from Piandao's library, which was offering her a far more interesting selection than what she had read for school.</p><p>"Go, I'll be fine." she assured him, and the Prince smiled momentarily, before his expression shifted as he stepped away from her, glancing around the market to go find the stall he intended for.</p><p>"Yep." he mumbled, seeming a little disappointed that she hadn't resisted his offer; she wasn't even considering to do so, knowing that her priority was to get their task done as quickly as possible, and not to spend time at the market with him- they'd have plenty of time for that, back at the manor.</p><p>As he paced away to go get the rice, she turned her gaze ahead, and noted that there was only one more person waiting in line to buy their vegetables; she leaned slightly to the right so she could check what exactly was going on, and it seemed that the grocer was just checking how many ban the customer would have to pay. Her expression brightened as they pulled the bag of vegetables up and offered them out to the customer.</p><p>"That'd be thirty ban, thank you." she requested, and the customer pulled out a few silver coins and placed them in the grocer's hand; she gave him his bag of vegetables, and he was on his way, allowing Mai to step forward and give her request.</p><p>"Good day, dear. What do you want to buy?"</p><p>She glanced down to the list, and began to read out its contents, "I need a bundle of carrots, a stem of spring onion, a bundle of radishes, two yams, and a bulb of cabbage." she told her what she wanted to buy, and the grocer nodded, seeming a little impressed by her order.</p><p>"Well, it sounds like you're going to have a feast." she joked, and the usually stoic girl almost laughed, knowing that it was merely the vegetables that would be divvied up amongst Fat's meals for the next few days.</p><p>"Not exactly." she conceded, before straightening her expression, "How much will that be?" she asked the grocer, who held up her hand, counting out how many ban it would cost.</p><p>"Six, two, five, two, two." she counted off, before turning her eyes toward Mai, "Seventeen ban, please." she asked, and she quickly reached into her purse of coins, which she had tied to her belt; she pulled out two silver coins and gave them to the grocer, who gave her three coins back as change.</p><p>The grocer turned around, and picked out the things Mai had asked for from her stock, and placed them down on the bench between them, allowing her to stuff them into her bag; once she had the bag full, she slung it over her shoulder, and nodded at the grocer, acknowledging her thanks as simply as she could, before turning around.</p><p>She heard her call out, "Who's next?" as she paced on into the centre of the market, glancing around to see if she could find Zuko; she couldn't see him around, and guessed that he had walked on down to the stall selling rice, which was lower in the market, by the cliffs that overlooked the canyon which Shu Jing was built beside.</p><p>She decided that she would just look around for a bit, knowing that with the leftover coins she had, she could buy something for herself, if she found something good. She wasn't the kind of person to splurge money, especially other people's money, but Mai wouldn't mind a new knife or dagger, which she knew she could buy from the armourer Piandao had sold his swords to. So, with that thought in mind, she began to pace on up the sloped path that led through the market, heading up toward the armourer's store. There were a few people on the path, which forced her to wind around them as she tried to reach the store. A few kids ran past her, and almost knocked her over, making her stumble forward, and tense up as she realigned her footing; they looked back at her for a moment, and though they looked like they were unrepentant about their reckless behaviour. A short, cold glare from her eyes seemed to do the trick however, as the children cringed with fear, and one of them raised his hands up.</p><p>"S-sorry, miss." he apologised, before grabbing his friend's hand, and running off with the others, presumably to go play some game of tag; she couldn't imagine why else young children would be running through the market.</p><p>"Annoying, aren't they?" she heard a man address her, and Mai glanced over to him, giving a nod, before she straightened her robes, not wanting to look improper or simply stupid while out in public.</p><p>As she approached the armourer's store, and with it, the edge of the market proper, she took note of a few men, standing by the entrance, chatting amongst themselves; she recognised one of them as the armourer who had come to the estate, though she couldn't recall his name. As she approached them, she began to listen to their conversation, though not out of interest, and more because she was thinking of asking the armourer if she could buy something from his store, which seemed like it would be a challenge if he was presently on his lunch break.</p><p>"There's no way that's what happened." she heard one of the men declare, "That's just unreasonable."</p><p>"Kuai told me himself. He was down in the port earlier today and heard some navy men talking about it." another man retorted, "That's what happened."</p><p>"Now, my friends, there's no reason to be so suspicious." the armourer declared, "Let's just be glad the Fire Lord is alive."</p><p>Mai's eyes widened upon hearing those words, and as she stepped closer, she considered asking them about what they had heard; she wasn't surprised there was news about Iroh, but she didn't know anything other than what she had just heard. As she approached, the armourer's gaze turned up to her, and he blinked.</p><p>"Oh were you here to buy from my shop?" he asked, and she nodded, "Sorry, I'm just on my lunch break. The store will be open in-" he explained, before cutting himself off, his eyes widening with surprise, "Wait, you're that girl who's staying with Piandao." he recalled her identity, having seen her when he came to collect the swords.</p><p>"Yes, I am." she confirmed, and the men he was talking with looked her way with interest.</p><p>"So, are you his latest student?" one of them asked, "Haven't seen a girl come to learn from him in a while." he added, seeming intrigued by her presence; Mai didn't know what cover story to use, but decided that just skewing the truth would best explain her situation.</p><p>"No, but my boyfriend was his student a long time ago. We're staying with him." she clarified as plainly as she could, without mentioning her actual reason for staying at Piandao's store; they nodded along, and then she decided to ask the question she had on her mind, "You were just talking about the Fire Lord... isn't he missing?"</p><p>"He was." the armourer clarified, "Supposedly he appeared last week in an encampment outside Omashu, and killed some assassins who were out to kill him." he explained, "It's crazy, honestly."</p><p>"He was missing for weeks." another of the men noted, "I thought the Dragon of the West might have actually died in the wilds."</p><p>"Come on." another man scoffed, "He's the greatest general in Fire Nation history. How could he let the cat-deers eat him?"</p><p>"Cat-deers don't even eat people, Wei." the other man retorted, "I was thinking dehydration."</p><p>"What was unbelievable was the Water Tribe warrior thing. That can't be true." another of the men explained, and the others, except the armourer, nodded.</p><p>"I trust Kuai." he declared, "Why would sailors lie about that? They'd be getting the proper reports from their commanders and everything." he tried to defend his information, and Mai stepped closer, raising a finger.</p><p>"What does this have to do with a Water Tribe warrior?"</p><p>"The Fire Lord was assisted by a Water Tribesman and Princess Azula. Together they killed the leader of the assassins, who supposedly, could shoot explosions with his mind." he explained, and Mai's heart almost skipped a beat; Azula had been involved, as expected, and from what she could tell, they were okay- all it would take was her letter reaching her, or her reaching Ty Lee for them to step closer to victory.</p><p>"That's unbelievable." Wei declared, "How is that even possible?"</p><p>"I have no idea." the armourer admitted, "But that's the kind of person you'd have to send after the Dragon of the West. Who else could try and kill the man?"</p><p>"Some traitor, obviously." one of the men noted, not sounding happy in the slightest about that fact, "How could someone try and kill their own Fire Lord?"</p><p>"Greed." Mai gave her own conclusion, "Why else?"</p><p>"No one can be that crazy." Wei argued, before cringing in fear, his expression mirrored on the faces of the other men, "What is our country coming to?"</p><p>"Nowhere good, that's for sure." one of them conceded, raising a hand to his face, before turning to face Mai, "Aren't you a little young to be worrying about all this?"</p><p>"I am not young enough to be unconcerned with the Fire Nation and the peace we have made." she admitted, "It's been centuries since war has touched these islands, hasn't it?" she asked them, and the men nodded along, seeming unnerved by the idea.</p><p>"I don't think anything will happen here." one of them tried to argue, "I mean... this is obviously the work of some extremists. They probably hate our nation."</p><p>She turned her eyes away, disappointed by what she was hearing, because she knew for sure that it was false; if anything, Ozai was more committed to the principles that had driven their nation, and the protection of it than his own father had been, and it was clear from how Zuko and Azula spoke of him that Iroh was not intending to destroy the other nations and continue colonising the Earth Kingdom. He probably loved the Fire Nation, or at the very least, loved the idea of ruling it and making it even stronger than it already was; she couldn't comprehend why else would a man try to have his own brother and son killed for merely standing in his way.</p><p>"Perhaps people don't love and respect their Fire Lord... but just the idea of the Fire Lord." she gave her thoughts to the men, just curious as to how they'd respond; rural men, presumably not well educated, but not stupid- certainly wiser than most indoctrinated urbanites might be when it came to the fate of their nation.</p><p>"He's the Dragon of the West." the armourer declared, "How could anyone not want him as their Fire Lord?"</p><p>"I don't know." she lied, simply wanting to get herself out of the conversation, so she could go meet up with Zuko and give him the good news, "I have to go, enjoy your afternoon." she addressed the men as she turned around, and they waved to her in farewell as she paced down the path back toward the market proper, as she was sure that if Zuko had come past on his way back to the estate, he would have gotten her attention.</p><p>As she made her way down, she quickly spotted him walking toward her, with bags of rice slung under his arms, and had an exasperated look on his face; he made a small smile as he saw her, though that expression quickly faded as he returned to focusing on his task. His breathing was drawn out as he neared her, and she realised that he hadn't really done anything like it since the explosion. Though he certainly wasn't writhing in pain anymore, and was able to walk and do things, carrying bags of rice up a hill was tough, a lot more so than taking individual crates back and forth off a ship, where at the very least, he had opportunities for breaks.</p><p>"Are you okay, Zuko?" she asked, and he shook his head, trying to reassure her that she didn't need to take one of the bags.</p><p>"I-I'm... I'm fine Mai, don't worry." he assured her, before narrowing his eyes at her, "You... you look happy." he realised, and she almost chuckled at his response, given that her expression was only ever so slightly pleased after hearing about Iroh's status.</p><p>"I guess I am." she conceded, "Your uncle and Azula are alright. They've killed the main assassin who was after them, and I assume they dealt with the others." she explained, and his expression shifted from one of near pain to elation.</p><p>"W-wait, seriously?" he almost grinned, "I- oh, we've got to tell Piandao." he concluded, skipping any comments he might have about his emotions; she understood that he wasn't just going to spill out his inner thoughts, and neither would she.</p><p>"I agree." she nodded, and gestured down to one of the bags of rice, "Let me carry that. Hurting yourself is not going to help your recovery." she warned him, and the Prince cringed, obviously not wanting to feel emasculated; that was rather petty, but not unexpected of him, Zuko being the proud and determined Prince he was.</p><p>"Uh... yeah, I guess." he conceded, seeming unwilling to do so, but even more unwilling to conflict with her, because he knew she was right; she took one of the bags of rice, and held it up against her chest as she began to pace up the slope, walking beside Zuko as they made their way along the path that would lead them to Piandao's Estate.</p><p>As they walked by the armourer and his friends, they gestured to her, and she raised a hand to wave in courtesy; Zuko seemed a little confused but nodded all the same, before he turned to face her as they walked on away up the path.</p><p>"Uh, are they the ones who told you?" he asked, and she turned her head, giving a curt nod as she eyed the slope they'd have to take; it was going to be a straining climb when they were carrying so much, but she was willing to do it, knowing that Piandao was providing for them with no real benefit for himself.</p><p>"They did, and they doubted what had happened, because some Water Tribesman helped your uncle."</p><p>"Huh, really?" Zuko asked, seeming a little surprised by that himself, "I wonder how he found someone from the Water Tribes in the Earth Kingdom." he mumbled, before shaking his head, "Well, it doesn't really matter. Uncle is safe, that's what counts."</p><p>"And Azula helped too. She must know about what's going on by now." she declared her beliefs, though she had nothing solid to back them up with; Iroh could have been running from the assassins and fighting them without ever having received the letter she had wrote, and he and Azula would be none the wiser to think the assassins were related to some group that opposed the Fire Nation's conquests and policies.</p><p>"Maybe not." Zuko countered, "But we can't know until we meet her or Uncle declares my father a traitor."</p><p>"That's assuming he got the letter." she warned the Prince, who nodded, seeming a little nervous about the potential that their message may have failed.</p><p>"I already told Uncle that Father was plotting against him, the day he left the capital. He has to know." he declared with a confident whisper, Mai nodding to assure him that she agreed; she didn't want him going into a needless panic about whether Iroh actually knew about Ozai's plans, "Azula probably would have figured it out."</p><p>"The code?"</p><p>"Yeah, the code. She knows Ty Lee like the back of her hand. If she really thought that letter was from her, I'd say she's lost her edge." he assured her, before he sighed, "She's always been smart like that."</p><p>She raised a brow, a little surprised that he'd actually admitted a 'good thing' about his sister, who he clearly didn't like at all, so much so that he held back informing her about what was going on with their father until after he had almost got himself killed. He supposedly feared that she'd use the situation to her advantage, to try and place herself as a heir of the Fire Nation, though Mai knew for certain that she would place the safety of her uncle over any ambitions she had. She respected the Fire Lord too much to betray him to Ozai, and even if Azula was a conniving and ruthless individual at times, that did not mean she would really value her own power over the bond she held with their uncle. Perhaps he was really the only person she truly loved, as no one else had shown the same degree of care to her, not her brother or father, and certainly not her grandfather; her cousin was the one person she looked up to as a child, and Zuko felt the same about him.</p><p>"Don't worry about Azula." she assured him, "She'll make sure to help your uncle stop Ozai."</p><p>"I... I hope she does." he admitted, before narrowing his eyes, "But I want- I need to be there for him."</p><p>"So you want to go to Omashu?" she asked, and the Prince cringed for a moment, before shaking his head.</p><p>"I don't know if that's a good idea." he conceded, "The Fire Lord is still in danger, and if we reveal ourselves... things could go badly. I want to see him... but we're- Father wants us dead, Mai." he admitted, before clenching his left fist, "I hate this."</p><p>"We're safe here." she conceded with a whisper, glancing back down the street as they reached the edge of the village, nearing the winding path that would lead them up to the estate, "I know this isn't where you want to be."</p><p>"I want to be able to do... something." he explained himself rather vaguely, before shaking his head, "Urgh, I don't even know what to do. Stopping those conspirators might not add up to much if Uncle and Father start fighting in public."</p><p>She recalled what Zuko had told her a long time ago, about his own intentions and desires, "Well, that'll be a chance for you to do what you've always wanted."</p><p>"To fight for my nation." he acknowledged what she was thinking, "I would be... a real leader. Not just a sheltered Prince. People would take me seriously." he admitted, before looking down, "But I'm afraid."</p><p>"Afraid of fighting your father?" she asked, and Zuko shook his head.</p><p>"Not anymore. We don't have a choice." he conceded, his eyes narrowed into a serious glare, "I can't die."</p><p>"So you're afraid of dying?"</p><p>"N-no." he shook his head, "Death isn't the problem, Uncle is. Ever since Lu Ten died, I've... I think he's teetering on an edge. He wants to be peaceful, he wants to be good, and not give in to his anger, just like how Lu Ten told me." he acknowledged, his tone dark and foreboding, "And if he gives into rage and grief, like he did in Ba Sing Se... then it won't just be Dad who will die. All those traitors, everyone... he'll set this country alight just to avenge me... or Azula, for that matter."</p><p>"You're not going to die, Zuko." she placed her right hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him that he'd be alright; his thoughts were well reasoned, but his fears were a little too extreme- she was no optimist, but she wouldn't let him look at his future like that.</p><p>"I'm not invincible. Nobody is." he stressed, before turning his gaze away, trying to cover the tears that were dripping down his cheeks, "I- I learned that a while ago, Mai."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Trust And Treason</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Azula knew that spying on her uncle and grandfather might get her in trouble; she had been playing Pai Sho with Iroh when a servant had interrupted them, and told her uncle that he was required by Fire Lord Azulon in his study. Her uncle told her to remain in the tea-room where they had been playing their game, and that he would be back soon; she had wanted to follow his request, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she tailed after him. The guards were a bit of an issue, so she wasn't able to directly follow him into the Fire Lord's private section of the palace, and had to walk around through the servants section, where they prepared the Fire Lord's meals, tea and washed his clothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The servants were easy to fool, as they were consumed by their tasks, and she was able to sneak around to the other side, where there were no guards to stop her. She knew that there would be Imperial Firebenders outside the doors, so she decided to enter another room nearby her grandfather's study, that being his personal tea room, and after checking where the guards were, she found a spot to hide in the room, listening to their conversation through the wall; she had missed some of it, but when she started listening, she was able to make out their words clearly enough.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But Iroh, I must warn you, the office of Fire Lord changes you, and requires things of you that you might not be comfortable doing." she heard her grandfather warn Iroh, sounding rather foreboding; she couldn't be sure if he was referring to the war, or to matters within the palace.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>From what she understood, the Fire Lord took the management of his household very seriously, and snuffed out dissent and any wayward voices very quickly, whether it came from ministers, high ranking officers, or his own family.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You told me once that being the Fire Lord was my purpose, my destiny." her uncle explained, sounding confident in his tone, "I am ready for my destiny."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no you are not." her grandfather snapped back at him, obviously not happy with his son's behaviour, which confused the Princess, "But you must handle it all the same."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh had been going to all the war meetings, dealing with nobles, business leaders and representatives from the colonies and outer islands; from what Azula could see, he was doing his job as Crown prince quite well, and was more than ready to take on the title of Fire Lord when his father ultimately passed away.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Father... what's wrong?" her uncle asked, sounding rather concerned by his father's tone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you blind, my son? Has your grief blinded you to the future you face? You will be the first Fire Lord to rule over a new age of peace, and though I am sure you will find comfort in that, you should not." Azulon warned him, and the Princess furrowed a brow, still unsure what he meant by his words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her uncle was a man of war, and had spent most of his life fighting for their nation, and ultimately, that was what had cost him his son, and had changed him; Iroh was not the same wise and headstrong general she had known him to be when she was a little girl, but even then, she didn't think he would be a bad Fire Lord.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What is the danger I face?" he asked Azulon, though instead of letting his father answer, he retracted his question, "I know."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azula narrowed her eyes, realising that they weren't talking about the war, or Iroh's change of heart after Lu Ten's death; they were talking about her father, who clearly wanted to make himself the next Fire Lord, even if their grandfather would not have a bar of it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you have the skill and knowledge to be a great Fire Lord, Iroh. And you can give that skill to your heirs. They're both a little dumb and cocky, but that's probably just because they're children." he explained, and Azula snarled slightly upon hearing her grandfather insult her intelligence; she might not have had the same wisdom her uncle had gained through his years of serving his country, but she wasn't stupid- she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve, and how to reach it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Children aren't the smartest." Iroh noted, and Azula grimaced slightly, realising that he might have just agreed with his father, "But they have hopes and aspirations. I know they will serve our nation like..." he explained, before trailing off, a moment of awkward silence passing before he finished his sentence, "like how Lu Ten wanted to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azula was glad that her uncle thought a little more highly of her than her grandfather did, but she still grimaced at the mention of her cousin, knowing that she wanted more than anything to become a Princess he would be proud of. He was everything she wanted to be, but he had died, fighting in a war they had practically won; now she and her brother were going to be the heirs of their nation, and after their father passed, one of them would be the Fire Lord. That was a long time away, but she knew that she had to think about it, as she was soon to be of age, and able to serve their nation properly, as her cousin had.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That they will. You know what's coming. If you didn't, then you wouldn't be coming to every single war council meeting, eyeing off your brother like a bird of prey." the Fire Lord revealed his own observations; since she had been to war meetings with her uncle and father, she knew that her was right, and realised that it was more than obvious her uncle knew her father had something planned for after Azulon died.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What should I do, Father?" Iroh asked him, and the Fire Lord's serious tone didn't make her feel like he'd be doing anything kind.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Deal with the problem when it comes to you." he gave him a rather simple answer, "If you do not defend your right, then it will be taken from you. A Fire Lord is expected to defend his throne and dignity the same he defends his country and his people."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I remember." her uncle responded with a quiet voice; maybe he had been told that long before the present conversation, and it was only now that he realised the importance of Azulon's words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So will you do it?" he asked his son, and Azula tensed up as she realised what he was actually asking him; Azulon was suggesting that the right course of action to deal with her father was to kill him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She loved her father, and was loyal to him, as any daughter should be, and she was infuriated by the idea that her uncle could even do that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know I'm strong enough, I just don't know if I have the will to do it." Iroh gave his thoughts, and she was sure she knew why; kinslaying was a dishonourable act by any measure, and she was sure her uncle did not take it lightly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you do not, then his treachery will be justified. The strong rule over the weak, Prince Iroh." Azulon warned him, and Azula tensed up, realising that her father had told her the same thing; if he was thinking the same way Azulon did, then maybe that meant that he would be perfectly fine with killing Iroh, a thought which disturbed her greatly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She understood why her father wouldn't like her uncle, but she couldn't comprehend why he'd want to kill him; he was going to be the Fire Lord now that Lu Ten was dead, so any action against his brother was just impatience escalating. She knew her father was a man who did what he believed was right and necessary, but she couldn't see him being that brash. That would be acting like Zuko, who was always temperamental and acting on his feelings rather than considering the ramifications of his decisions. She looked down, knowing that her grandfather was right in a way; Iroh had to defend his birthright, so if it came down to a fight, then she knew where it would go. It was the only way her father would be Fire Lord without Iroh dying a natural death, which she hoped wouldn't happen for some time.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is... is that all you wanted to tell me, Father?" Iroh asked the Fire Lord after a long, almost painful silence.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes." he confirmed, "Unless you had something you wanted to tell me."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't." he stressed, "I've left my niece waiting at the Pai Sho board for too long. Enjoy your day, Father."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I won't." her grandfather snapped back at him, "Just go." he demanded, and Azula glanced back toward the doorway, knowing that she had to leave so she could get back to the tea room before her uncle did.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She moved to the doorway at once, and glanced out of it for servants and when she saw that the coast was clear, she paced down toward the servant's area once more, listening out for voices and footsteps; she could hear a few servants nearby, though from what she could hear, it simply sounded like they were working in the kitchen, which she could avoid easily enough. When she reached a bend in the hallway, she glanced around the corner, seeing a servant striding down with linen in her hands, and the Princess realised she'd need to find a way around her, or at the very least, some place to hide as she made her way down the hallway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She noticed that there was a door nearby, but she couldn't hear anyone inside; she decided to just open it up and step inside the room. It was just a small storeroom, with a few boxes of goods, such as paper, fabrics, and other materials that might be of use to the servants in doing their jobs. She moved to hide herself behind where the door would be when it opened, knowing that if the servant was to step in, the door would cover her and allow Azula to step out stealthily without being spotted. The servant walked by without opening the door, making her smile for a moment, just relieved she didn't have to spend any more time hiding. She moved to stand right by the handle of the door, and pulled it slightly ajar so she could glance down the hallway, where she could see the servant girl pacing on, presumably to take the linen to her grandfather's bedroom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She pulled the door open completely, before stepping through and moving down the hallway at once, knowing she had to get back to the tea room with haste; she ran down the hallway, unable to hear any more servants, and once she reached the edge of the servant's section, she was able to regain her composure and begin pacing down the hallway, heading back in the direction of the tearoom. When she reached a corner, she froze still as she realised her uncle was standing right there, watching her with his eyes narrowed, obviously suspicious of her not being where he left her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula, why are you here?" he asked, glancing back up the hallway toward his father's study, where she could see the guards standing duty, "Were you following me?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She kept a straight face, wondering whether it would be worth it to lie and try and excuse herself, or if she should just tell him the truth; she glanced back down the way they both ought to be heading and decided she could tell him on the way, and perhaps, get some answers out of him, now that she had to tell him what she had done.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was." she admitted, and the former General raised a brow, before he began to walk down the hallway, Azula walking beside him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"How much did you hear?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The bad part, I presume." she admitted honestly, "Unless there's something worse than Grandfather telling you to kill Dad."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Th-that's not..." Iroh tried to excuse what Azulon had said, but simply ended up sighing, realising that she had made the right deductions about their conversation, "You shouldn't have been listening to that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because it was a private conversation?" she preempted him, and her uncle scoffed, shaking his head, seeming disappointed, though not in her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, because you're a child, Azula." he admitted, "You may be thirteen, but you haven't... seen the things I have. Or done the things I have. My father has never been the kindest man, and he has expected many things of me. Things I would never expect of you." he explained his reasoning, "Don't worry about what he says."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But he's right, Uncle." she warned him, "Father... he wants to do things. I don't know what, but I think he wants to be Fire Lord sooner rather than later." she admitted what she knew, or at least, understood about her father; she didn't know anything solid, and was unsure if her uncle did either.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know my brother." he assured her, "He's always been... temperamental. I know he wants what he thinks is best for our nation, but that doesn't mean he should be Fire Lord yet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Will you fight him?" she asked him bluntly, knowing that was what Azulon wanted him to do.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Only if he wants to take the throne." he admitted, "I will not start a needless feud that will do no good for our family."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sorry for eavesdropping." she apologised, knowing that her uncle obviously wasn't comfortable with her knowing what she now did, "I just... I knew something was up."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You've always been the attentive one." he noted with a slightly amused voice, "I recommend you don't go snooping around like too much. I'm sure your father won't like it, especially if you're following him." he warned her, and she nodded, knowing that her father would not react kindly if she had done the same to him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know, Uncle." she assured him that she wasn't that stupid, before sighing, "Why aren't you angry?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because I have no need to be angry. You just wanted to know what was going on." he acknowledged, "There's nothing wrong with that. You just should have asked me... that would have been a little safer."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nobody saw me, Uncle. Don't worry." she smirked at him, "I know my way around."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know you do." he admitted, before glancing ahead, "Just don't worry about what your grandfather said. I am going to rule my nation as I want to, not as he does."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The old man wouldn't like it if you said that to his face." she noted, slightly amused that he was willing to say that in front of her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I know that." he chuckled, "But I don't want to incur his wrath and give him an actual reason to make Ozai Crown Prince."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He never gets angry at you, Uncle." she observed, "Maybe he just likes you better."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He never should have." he admitted, seeming sad in his tone, "He's never been a good father... or at least, since my mother died." he noted poignantly, "Ozai's only the man he is today because of him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She scrunched her lips up, realising that perhaps some of the things her father told her had more to do with the fact his father seemed to not care about him, and less about the actual way the world and people worked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is that why he hates love?" she asked her uncle, guessing that was why her father was always so cold, even to her, the favoured child.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'd say so. I tried to be a good brother... but I was always away, serving in the army." he admitted, "I never had the time to care, and by the time I realised what Ozai was like, I couldn't do anything about it. He blames me for how Father treated him, but really, that was just him being... cruel."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So... this is all his fault." she concluded, and Iroh's eyes widened.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It is." he agreed with her, "But I could have done more myself. Maybe if Ursa hadn't-" he began, before shaking his head, "Nevermind."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her eyes widened as she realised he had just mentioned her mother, and was about to talk about her death; she guessed he felt that if she hadn't died, maybe Ozai would have ended up kinder than he was.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do... do you think Mother would have helped him love us?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe." he mumbled, "I don't know." he conceded, "I know she would have loved you very much." he assured her, and turned her eyes away from him, unsure whether she was just saying that to make her feel better about her mother being dead; she had never known her, but she left an empty feeling in her life, one that she thought could have been filled with something better than her father's cold shoulders and firebending tests.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe Zuko would have been nicer." she guessed, knowing that he was always so cold and annoyed by her, which she felt had a lot to do with the fact she was associated with their dead mother, and that she got all the attention of their only living parent.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He feels just like Ozai did." he admitted, and her eyes widened, realising how similar they must have been, at least as children, "And I can't let him turn out like that. He can be better."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then... am I like you, Uncle?" she asked, wondering if then it was her responsibility to be kinder to Zuko, as Iroh must have tried to have been to her father; even if her uncle had failed to bond with Ozai, she guessed she might be able to get her brother to like her, or at the very least, trust her, if he was able to give up on his stubborn disdain for her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe." he admitted, sounding a little unsure, before he smiled at her, "If you can beat me in our game of Pai Sho, that'd be proof."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She shook her head, knowing that would be very unlikely, "I don't think I can."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You just need to learn, and you can't learn without trying." he explained, before placing a hand on her shoulder, "Let's go. Don't worry about what Grandfather said... he's just an old, angry man."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah..." she mumbled, knowing that he was trying to reassure her, but in fact, he only made her feel more nervous about what they discussed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Needless worries can consume people, my niece. You shouldn't spend all your time thinking about the ifs and buts of life. Taking some time to just enjoy yourself can help you greatly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You must really like being retired." she noted, slightly amused by how lazy her uncle had become, despite the important role he played as Crown Prince.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I love it." he grinned at her, "But I know I will have a lot of work to do once I become Fire Lord, so I'm just appreciating it while I can." he explained, before furrowing a brow, "So, maybe you should consider what you might be doing in future, so you can appreciate what you have right now."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"More firebending sets to do." she recalled the first thing that came to mind, before letting out a sigh, "I can't wait for the day Lo and Li won't harass me anymore because I'll be a master firebender."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will be proud to see that day arrive, Azula. You are already a great firebender, and you don't have much longer to go until you join the ranks of great firebending masters." he acknowledged, and she smiled for a moment, realising that he was giving credit to her abilities; he usually avoided talking about her firebending training, and just hearing that made her feel a little brighter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her father would compliment her skills, but half the time, it just seemed like he did so to prod Zuko into working harder on his own bending; her uncle's comment just seemed all the more genuine and not in anyway an exaggeration, or an attempt to soothe her ego.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, Uncle." she nodded at him, her feelings of appreciation outweighing any nervousness she felt about her grandfather's words; her uncle at the very least cared, and he wanted her to succeed- the same couldn't be said for the man she was named after.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I won't let you down." she assured him, and Iroh shook his head.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You can't. I always will be proud of you, as long as you stay true to yourself, and do what you think is right." he assured her, and the Princess narrowed her eyes, turning them away as she considered the content of his words.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What I think is right?" she asked, before scrunching her lips up, "I will do what is necessary to make myself a worthy heir and gracious Princess." she explained the ideal of what she strived to in all of her actions, or at least those that weren't caused by curiosity, compulsion or mere obligation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Will that make you happy?" he asked her, and she nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"More than anything." she stressed, and her uncle's expression shifted; he was a little confused by her words, for some reason, and raised his left hand up to his goatee, which he stroked in thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Worth is to the eye of the beholder." he acknowledged, "For me, you are already worthy, my niece."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I am?" she asked, surprised that he was willing to say that when she hadn't achieved anything of note.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You are smart, brave and ever-focused on learning more and finding a path ahead. You are worthy, my niece. All you need is something to spend your time doing, other than drilling through firebending sets." he explained, "Your schooling, at least the formal part, it's nearly over. Soon enough you'll be here in the palace taking lessons from your tutors, and lectures from senior ministers and military officials." he explained, smiling at her, "You will do well, but I feel... you might want to do more than that."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I do." she confirmed, knowing that once she had something in mind, she would ask her uncle about it; serving her nation, however she could do it, would be vital in placing herself above her brother as her uncle and father's heir, and proving herself to the elite of her nation, whose support she would rely upon once she became Fire Lord.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then I recommend you think about that. I will help you in any way I can, Azula. If you need something, then you need only ask."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will, Uncle, soon enough."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The look on Piandao's face indicated that he was surprised about the events at Omashu; it seemed that the official military channels got word around far faster than the Order of the White Lotus could tell him of the events that occured in that military encampment. The sword master placed his hands together as he considered what Mai had just told him, and Zuko patiently waited for his response; he wanted more than anything to go help his uncle, now that he knew he was alive and safe, at least for the moment. He knew there would be dangers in trying to reach his uncle, and that was why he was patiently waiting for Piandao's response. He was looking down at the piece of calligraphy he had been working on before he and Mai returned, and seemingly deep in thought.</p><p>"Master?" he asked him, "Is something wrong?" he asked him, unsure why he had fallen silent all of sudden.</p><p>"No, nothing's wrong." he assured him, before he smiled at him, "This is good news. Iroh is safe." he acknowledged what he had learnt, before his expression faltered, "But that does not mean it will be safe to reach him. Your father's men will be intent on finding you both, and if you head toward Omashu, I don't doubt they could catch up and cause you even more grief."</p><p>"I'm always looking over my shoulder." Zuko conceded, before sighing, knowing that he was right, "You're right, Master."</p><p>"Once I hear back from my contacts in the capital, we can make a proper judgement on what ought to be done. We still don't know how far your father's conspiracy extends; anyone could be involved, for all we know. I assume it's mostly restricted to the government and upper echelons of the military, but that's just my assumption."</p><p>"I don't think my father was a part of it." Mai spoke up, making Zuko turn to face her, "He genuinely believed Zuko and I were meant to be going on a vacation when we were about to be attacked." she explained what had happened that afternoon, "He's... well, I think he works closely with Ozai." she admitted, "That doesn't mean he's part of the conspiracy."</p><p>"Hmph." Zuko let out a heavy breath, realising that many people could be simply fooled by his father's lies and machinations, "So, maybe more people are just being duped into it. I don't imagine many people would like the idea of killing or overthrowing my uncle."</p><p>"Neither do I." Piandao agreed with him, "Whoever is in the know, it can't be many people. It would only take one disgruntled conspirator to inform your uncle, directly or otherwise, to incriminate your father."</p><p>"Well, he's already been informed, so... that doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" he asked the sword master, knowing it was only a matter of time before Iroh revealed his father's treachery.</p><p>Whether he would wait to return to the capital was yet to be seen, but Zuko guessed that he might speak up earlier rather than later, as he might be able to get enough of the military on side before Ozai was able to send more assassins his way, or try and get some of his conspirators to capture him, or sink whatever ship he'd be taking back to the homeland. The Prince realised he had spent quite some time just thinking about the ways in which his father might try to come after them, or his uncle for that matter; the latter thoughts seemed far more relevant now that he knew his uncle had defeated the assassins, and by extension, Ozai would know that he would need a new plan.</p><p>"The Fire Lord will likely act on his knowledge soon enough." he acknowledged, "When that occurs, then it will make less sense for you to remain in hiding here." he noted, "Though it will be just as dangerous for you, the sides will perhaps be more clear, and you may be able to find assistance from those in the military and government who remain loyal to your uncle."</p><p>"If the conspirators make themselves known, that's half the work done for us." Mai observed, "That's the best case scenario, though."</p><p>"It is." Piandao conceded, "At present, we only know that Ozai has supporters, but not their identities. Assuming anyone to be in league with him just yet would be foolish."</p><p>"Those contacts of yours... they're not going to be putting us all in danger by looking around in the capital, are they?" she asked, and the sword master furrowed a brow.</p><p>"We have a policy of burning our letters once we receive them in the order." he explained, "That is so that if any of our members are arrested acting against powerful individuals, they cannot root out our organisation by determining our membership." he explained the protocols they were using, "Unless your father has some very effective torturers on his side, I doubt they will be able to get much out of my contacts. They won't even know you are here... merely that I sought information."</p><p>"That means they could come here still." Mai warned him, "How long do you think it would take... if that was the case?"</p><p>"Maybe a week. I doubt Ozai would have men on the ready in this area. We're not exactly in the most populous and well-travelled part of the Fire Nation." he explained, before furrowing a brow, "I don't imagine we'd have any way to know if they were caught."</p><p>"You expect a reply." Zuko noted, "If they don't reply soon, then something must have happened."</p><p>"Maybe." Piandao replied, not going as far to say that would be evidence of his contacts being caught, "For all we know, the investigation may take time. You saw a few meetings, Zuko, not the full extent of your father's operations."</p><p>"I..." he mumbled, unsure what he should say to that, "I don't know what to do."</p><p>He knew that he didn't know as much as he would need to try and act on his father's conspiracy, but he didn't want to stay at Piandao's estate for much longer; not because he didn't like his former master, who he respected greatly, but because he wanted to try and help his uncle, and no longer feel like a helpless boy who had nearly got himself killed out of a mere lack of caution.</p><p>"Patience is something I know you struggle with, Prince Zuko." the sword master acknowledged rather bluntly, "I know you want to help your uncle and stop your father's plans, but you cannot do anything until we have a better idea of who your enemies are. Acting rashly will... well, I am sure you already know what can happen."</p><p>The Prince raised a hand to his cheek, knowing he couldn't argue against his point, as much as he wanted to, "There's nothing we can do then."</p><p>"Not necessarily." Mai spoke up, earning both their attention, "There's still Azula." she warned him, "And there's nothing to say Ozai believes she knows anything about the conspiracy."</p><p>"What, do you think she's going to be crazy enough to go against him?" Zuko asked, skeptical that his sister would do what he himself wanted to do; she was always the pragmatic one, and he doubted she would just reveal her knowledge without some kind of plan to imprison their father with the charges that could be laid on him for his treacherous actions, "If she goes to the capital, he'll imprison her... or worse."</p><p>"We can't be sure of that, Zuko." Piandao agreed with Mai, "I don't know your sister well, but it seems that she is trusted more by your father, and so far, doesn't seem to have done anything that would indicate she knows about the conspiracy, even if she actually does. Prince Ozai may believe she is still loyal to him, and if he calls on her support, in the case your uncle declares his treachery, she could... well, deal with him directly."</p><p>"I don't think whoever is supporting my father would take her shooting him with a lightning bolt too kindly. They might call her the traitor then."</p><p>"If it is the result of an Agni Kai, then it is legal and any potential crimes are voided by default. That is what Fire Lord Sozin made law." he explained, and Zuko nodded, remembering that from his tutorials about the Fire Nation legal system.</p><p>Agni Kais formed an easy bypass for legal disputes, and though they had been traditionally practiced for hundreds of years to end feuds between individuals, families and even entire kingdoms, they were never part of the nation's laws until Sozin made them so. A number of generals and other high ranking officers had been displaced from their ranks by many a great firebender who found themselves offended by their actions in the past; Fire Lords had never been overthrown by the tradition, as the Fire Lord's authority had always been seen as being vested to him or her by the Fire Sages, and not by the individual's personal honour.</p><p>"I know that... but my father might just have her arrested before she can demand an Agni Kai." he noted what would most likely be the outcome of his sister going to the capital to confront their father, "He's no idiot. He knows that she can remove him from the line of succession legally, and she hasn't... shied from talking of her desire for the throne."</p><p>"That's just talk, Zuko." Mai argued, "Has he ever really doubted her loyalty?"</p><p>"No." he admitted, "She's just really good at lying, I think." he explained his reasoning for that belief, "Covering her emotions and true feelings so she can seem like she's on his side."</p><p>"Azula does know how to fool people. That's why I think she can do it." she explained, "But even then... I still think we can help. Her and Iroh both." she stressed, and Piandao nodded.</p><p>"Let us wait for the response." the sword master suggested, before chuckling, "After all that, I didn't even thank you two for going shopping. I'm sure Fat will appreciate all the ingredients for making some more meals."</p><p>"It's no issue." Zuko assured him, "We're more than obliged to go on errands for you."</p><p>"For a boy who nearly died to an explosion two weeks ago, you're rather eager to do work, Prince Zuko." he observed, "That dogged determination is admirable." he acknowledged, before glancing down at the paper he was writing on, "Perhaps I might write a poem about it."</p><p>The Prince chuckled, not thinking that an errand was worth him writing a poem spouting the virtues of a Prince who had yet to do much of note for himself or for his country, "Perhaps not yet, Master." he conceded, "I have yet to prove my determination can do much."</p><p>"You have survived. That is proof enough." he reminded him of what he had gone through, and the Prince sighed.</p><p>"Surviving is only the beginning." he acknowledged that he had some ways to go to reclaim his position as Prince of the Fire Nation, and to serve his country as he had always wished to; taking his mind from the future, he glanced past Piandao to the courtyard outside, and wondered whether he ought to do some training for the inevitable fights he would face- generating lightning wasn't within his reach yet, but he could certainly spend some time improving his swordsmanship.</p><p>"Do you want to go do some sparring, Mai?" he asked the girl beside him, her expression shifting to one of interest.</p><p>"I might." she gave a vague answer, "Are you firebending or using swords?"</p><p>"Dao." he clarified, before narrowing his eyes, "Also, Master, I think I'll need to get some new swords. I'm just using yours at the moment." he noted, making Piandao chuckle.</p><p>"Well, I've got the forge ready to use at any time, Zuko. If you want to make some new dao, you're more than welcome to do so." the sword master explained, before smiling, "I can help you with that, if you like."</p><p>"Uh, well, I'd appreciate that, Master." he acknowledged him, giving his former master a bow, before he turned to face Mai, "So, was that a yes or a no?"</p><p>"Yes." she finally gave an answer, before rising to her feet, "Let's see if you're good enough to fight off some more assassins."</p><p>"Well, that was the idea." he admitted as he followed her to his feet, before making his way after her as she left the room, aiming for the door that would lead them out into the courtyard.</p><p>"Good luck." Piandao raised a hand to farewell them before he returned to his calligraphy; Zuko turned around as he reached the door out of the room, and glanced toward his former master for a few moments; he felt like thanking him, but his pride was getting in the way of that, so he simply nodded at him, before following after Mai.</p><p>He stepped through the rear door out into the courtyard, and was forced to raise his hand up to block out the glare of the midday sun; he noticed that Mai was reaching into her sleeves as she paced out into the centre of the courtyard. She drew out some throwing knives, and glanced at them for a moment, before putting them back in her sleeves.</p><p>"I thought you were about to stab me with those." he gave her his thoughts, before glancing over to the weapons rack where Piandao's dao swords were sitting, ready for him to use, "How are we going to do this?" he asked, unsure what exactly she wanted to do for their spar.</p><p>"I'll get some of those training daggers instead." she explained her thoughts, making him snicker; she had asked Piandao for some training weapons the other day, and upon finding out they were in the shape of swords, she cut the lengths of the blades and used her sai to carve them into the shape she desired.</p><p>He nodded, and moved to pick up two of the training swords, which unlike the actual blades he had ready, were made of wood, and therefore wouldn't pose much actual danger to Mai, given he wasn't intending to whack her into submission with the wooden blades. Once he had his blades in hand, he gave them a few swings; they weren't the same weight as the dao, even if they were of a similar shape, which would disadvantage him slightly, given that Mai's weapons had been carved so that they'd be best for her fighting style and what she was used to.</p><p>Moving into form, he kept his eyes on his opponent, who was collecting her own wooden blades, which she held in both hands; though at first glance, one might think that the greater reach of Zuko's swords would make victory certain for him, he knew that Mai's speed and unpredictable movements made her a far more intimidating opponent that she might seem with a pair of wooden daggers. She narrowed her steely glare at him, and though he couldn't tell what she was feeling from her eyes, he was sure she was imagining his own tactics, and how to counter them.</p><p>"Are you ready?" he asked her, and she raised her chin up slightly, looking at him with slight suspicion.</p><p>"No firebending, got it?" she reminded him, and the Prince nodded; he wasn't going to renege on what he told her- he would use the wooden dao, and that was all.</p><p>Without any hesitation, Mai moved toward him, readying both her daggers in hands, before she swung one of them up, aiming to slash up his face, something that would leave a serious gash if it was a real blade; he already had his dao ready to block, raising his left blade up, keeping the wooden dagger away from his face. It seemed that her move was a feint, as she thrust the other dagger right toward his gut. Zuko had no option other than to weave to the side, leaving himself open as Mai's arm grazed by his chest; she threw her elbow back, striking him in the gut, making him wince as he tried to reorient himself and get ready to counter her next attack.</p><p>The Prince swung his wooden dao around so that they were crossed in front of him, ready to block Mai as she turned around and readied both her daggers; she spun one around, holding it toward the ground as she looked ready to slash his arm. Instead, she swept her left foot forward, kicking Zuko right in the shin; he grunted as he felt his right leg give way, and feeling as if she would abuse his momentary weakness, he decided to distract her by swinging his right dao hard at her. She leapt back, letting the Prince reorient himself, and he let out a deep breath, realising that he might not be fast enough to beat her.</p><p>"I need more practice." he admitted, and she narrowed her eyes at him.</p><p>"This is practice." she reminded him, before leaping at him, holding her left hand forward, with her dagger oriented so it would strike his face side-on; he raised his right dao up, blocking the dagger and flicking it away, right out of her hand.</p><p>She had another plan, which didn't surprise him in the slightest, moving her right hand toward his gut, holding the tip of the blade along her so that if it were real, she would be able to disembowel him by stepping forward. Instead of surrendering, as Mai might have wanted him to, he just fell back onto the ground, landing on his bottom and rolling backwards, doing a somersault before he landed on his feet, spinning his swords back around so he would be ready to fight her once more.</p><p>"Did that hurt your gut, Zuko?" she asked him as he moved back into form, and the Prince cringed slightly as he realised that it did; his burns had left him with aches whenever he would stretch his muscles too much, especially around his core.</p><p>He rose back up to his feet, deciding that he wouldn't respond; she only had one dagger now, and Zuko was sure he could disarm her if he was able to predict her moves. She rushed forward, presumably so she could take advantage of his discomfort from having curled himself up to roll; she had her dagger in right hand, and threw it back into her left hand before she swung that hand and Zuko's side. He moved his right dao to block the dagger while he took the other and swung it ather neck; though he was able to reach it, and was in a position to force her to surrender, Mai had done the same by moving past his right dao, holding the dagger right under his arm, ready to stab him in the side.</p><p>"Draw?" he asked her, and after a few moments of awkward silence, holding their blades toward each other, she nodded, and with that, he pulled his blade away from her neck.</p><p>"There'll be no draws with assassins, Zuko." she warned him, and the Prince grimaced, knowing what they would be facing, though he could remain assured by one fact.</p><p>"That's why I'm glad you'll be by my side."</p><hr/><p>Wiping sweat from her forehead, Ty Lee glanced at the box of fruits she had carried into Natsu's store; after all she and Haru had done for her, she was more than willing to help them out, and it was even better that they could provide her some cover. Her gray eyes and brown hair made her look a little less specifically Fire Nation, so putting on Earth Kingdom robes made her look like any other commoner, albeit a fair-skinned and pretty one. For the past few days she had been going by the name Aki, which Natsu had given to her, and she was actually growing used to her new position, though perhaps that was only because it was far better than being on the run in the wilderness, trying to escape from Ozai's men.</p><p>She had just finished retrieving some fruit from a farmer who had just arrived in town, allowing Natsu to sell some of those fruits in her store, while the farmer could make his way back to his orchard; Haru was nowhere to be seen, and she had been told he had gone on break, though he could tell from his mother's unease that she would have preferred if he had had a shorter one. She stepped over toward her, and wondered if she could do anything to help; she didn't know where Haru had gone, but at the very least, she could try and persuade him to not do that again. She knew that Natsu loved her son dearly, and she wanted to make sure the two of them were safe, because they had done that for her.</p><p>"Do you want me to go find him, Natsu?" she asked, and she shook her head.</p><p>"He can't be that much longer." she assured her, "Just go in the back and get out the signs. I want the customers to know we've just received some fresh fruit." she gave her a new task, and Ty Lee, accepting it without question; the tasks she'd had to complete so far weren't that hard.</p><p>"I'm on it." she assured her with a bright smile, and with that, she strode on over into the back room of the store, where the signs were located; they had a number of signs pre-painted so all she had to do was find the right ones and she would be able to put them up outside the store.</p><p>She ran her hands along the wooden signs, and flicked through them, glancing at the words on each; she first found one that had the word 'fresh' on it, and pulled it out and placed it to the side, before she continued on through the stack of signs. She noted a few indicating food items until she finally found what she was looking for: the sign marked 'fruit'. Once she had the two signs, she put them under her arm, and strode on out of the back room. She made her way past Natsu, and approached the front door of the store, before she pushed it open.</p><p>Ty Lee spent a moment to check if there was any Fire Nation soldiers around at the moment, knowing that they might recognise her from the posters she had seen put up; supposedly, she was wanted for arson, as if they had blamed her for what happened at the circus, though she was unsure what had happened to her friends at the circus. She assumed that they had packed up and fled the area as soon as she left, as the day after, they had already packed up and left, though much of the camp remained as a burnt out ruin; she hadn't been able to retrieve any of her personal belongings, as they had been burnt in the flames, and she had only walked around with Haru while in disguise, not wanting to get the attention of any of the soldiers who might have been watching. There were no soldiers on the street at present, and she took comfort in that, placing the signs up in front of the store; a few people walked by, showing interest in what she was doing, and a young woman approached her.</p><p>"Oh, you're selling fresh fruits? Do you have any peaches?" she asked, and Ty Lee nodded with a smile, recalling that she had seen some in the stacks of fruit they already had.</p><p>"Yes. They're not the freshest fruit here, but they came in today." she explained, and the woman nodded, stepping over toward the doorway.</p><p>"Well, I'll go get some then." she decided, and Ty Lee watched her enter; she smiled as she realised she had just earned Natsu a customer, and she stepped in after the woman, standing by the front of the store as she went to go retrieve some peaches.</p><p>She picked them up and put them in a bag, before taking them over to Natsu, "Hi, Natsu." she addressed her with an upbeat tone, "Who's the girl?"</p><p>"My niece, Aki." she lied with a forced smile on her face, "Just these?"</p><p>"Yep." the woman confirmed, and she pulled out some coins from a bag she had slung around her shoulder.</p><p>"Twelve copper." the store owner clarified, and the woman gave her the requested currency, "Have a good evening, Qie." she smiled at the woman, and she paced on away.</p><p>"Nice of you to help your aunt." she addressed Ty Lee, who simply gave her a smile, waving as she left and closed the door behind herself; she turned back to face Natsu, who nodded at her, assuring her that she had done well.</p><p>"That could have been worse." she admitted, before stepping closer, "Does anybody know who your relatives are?"</p><p>"Not many. I came to this village to marry Tyro, so most people have never seen my siblings." she admitted, before sighing, "It's been long since I've seen my family... and him."</p><p>She grimaced, knowing that her husband's absence must have been hard on her; she seemed like an independent and capable woman, but certainly a lonely and sad one. Haru seemed to be distant, if not agitated at times, and she understood that might have had to do with the Fire Nation; whenever she mentioned the war, he became uneasy, if not outright hostile.</p><p>"Maybe you and Haru should go visit your relatives."</p><p>"Nobody would be here to work the shop if we left." she admitted, "I need to pay taxes or this shop won't be mine for much longer." she warned, and Ty Lee grimaced, knowing who might do that.</p><p>"I..." she mumbled, knowing that it was her people who were responsible for her family's problems, "That's not fair."</p><p>"Life isn't fair." Natsu admitted honestly, before suddenly, their attention was drawn by the door being opened behind her; she turned around, and realised it was Haru, who had a near panicked look on his face.</p><p>"Hi, Mum." he addressed his mother, a little nervous in his tone, before turning his eyes to her, "Ty Lee." he uttered her name, a little more quietly than he had before saying it.</p><p>"Where have you been, Haru? You're lateǃ" Natsu chided him, before gesturing to the shelves, "Get started on your chores."</p><p>"Uh, yeah." he nodded, and the Fire Nation girl narrowed her eyes at him, unsure what he had been spending his break time doing, "What?" he asked her, confused by her staring.</p><p>Suddenly, the door was opened once more, and Ty Lee turned her gaze over to the figure who had entered; it was a teenage girl, around her own age, wearing blue robes that seemed unusual for the area, and she had an intrigued look on her face, with her eyes clearly focused on Haru.</p><p>"Hey, you're that kid. Why did you run away before?" she asked him, sounding more curious than suspicious, and the Earth Kingdom boy nervously stepped back, momentarily eyeing the acrobat before he looked at the other girl.</p><p>"Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid." he dismissed her suggestion, which Ty Lee assumed was a lie, and the oddly-dressed girl seemed to see right through it.</p><p>She was joined by another boy dressed in blue, probably a year or two older than herself, and a younger boy wearing a conical hat and orange and yellow robes, who seemed to be just as forward as the girl, "No, she doesn't." he stressed, "We saw you earthbending."</p><p>Ty Lee blinked for a few moments, and realised that that was what he had been keeping a secret, and what his mother had refused to mention. His mother gasped, and immediately moved to close the windows and door to make sure nobody could hear them; she was so surprised that she couldn't do anything but stand there aghast.</p><p>"They saw you doing what?" Natsu asked her son, whose nervous and panicked expression only made Ty Lee share in his emotions; she knew for a fact that the Fire Nation didn't like earthbenders, especially in the colonies, and it made more sense than not for him to hide his abilities.</p><p>"They're crazy, Mumǃ" he defended himself, trying to deny what they had accused him of doing, "I mean, look at how they're dressed; the group seemed a little self conscious, and readjusted their clothes as Natsu stared at her son with unease.</p><p>"You know how dangerous that is. You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending." she warned him, and Ty Lee knew enough about them to know what they were referring to; it made a lot of sense that he was always trying to avoid earthbending and revealing his abilities to her, given that she might accidentally reveal it to somebody who could rat him out.</p><p>Suddenly, before she could even try and ask Haru about what had just happened, some knocks hit the door, "Open upǃ"</p><p>"Fire Nationǃ" the elder boy declared with a rather loud whisper as he eyed through the blinds, "Act natural." he advised them, and Ty Lee looked at him with confusion; she was unsure exactly what he meant she should do.</p><p>Everyone got into positions, and though some of them were a little weird, she guessed their intention was to look like they were just standing around the store. The acrobat stood by one of the shelves, as if she was getting ready to pick something off of it. Natsu opened the door, and a few moments later, a man stepped into the room; he was a soldier, clearly enough, and his uniform suggested that he was of a reasonably high rank.</p><p>"Good day." the officer spoke up, "We're looking for the fugitive, who you might have heard of. An arsonist." he explained, clearly referring to Ty Lee, though only Haru understood the reference, "You wouldn't happen to have seen somebody suspicious. A Fire Nation girl, to be specific."</p><p>"No, we haven't." Natsu assured him, and the group who had entered only moments earlier did the same, nodding along.</p><p>"We haven't seen anyone." the younger boy assured him, and the soldier raised his chin up before turning around.</p><p>"They might try and harm you all... so stay on the lookout, and alert any guards if you come across something suspicious." he explained, "This is far greater a threat than any earthbender." he stressed, before stepping out of the store, "Good day." he farewelled them, before Natsu closed the door.</p><p>"Uh... well." Haru spoke up, sounding uneased by the whole situation, and the elder boy turned his gaze to him, Ty Lee and his mother.</p><p>"How long has the Fire Nation been here for?"</p><p>"Five years." Natsu clarified, "The Fire Lord uses our town's coal mine to fuel his ships."</p><p>The expressions of the group shifted to ones of surprise, before Haru spoke up over his mother.</p><p>"They're thugs. They steal from us." he explained, before he paused for a moment, his eyes darting down, almost in shame before they moved back to the group, "And everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it."</p><p>"Quiet, Haruǃ" his mother angrily chided him, obviously figuring what direction his words were going in; he wanted to fight the Fire Nation, something that Ty Lee already understood from the first night she met him, "Don't talk like that."</p><p>"But Haru's an earthbender." the girl argued, "He can help."</p><p>Natsu shook her head, clearly not approving of such an idea, "Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this villageǃ" she declared, before glancing toward her son, "He must never use his abilities."</p><p>"How can you say that?" the girl asked her, "Haru has a gift. Asking him not to earthbend is asking me not to waterbend."</p><p>"Wait, waterbend?" Ty Lee gasped with surprise, the girl turning to face her.</p><p>"Yeah, I'm a waterbender. My bending is part of who I am, just like Haru." she declared, and Ty Lee furrowed a brow, confused what a waterbender was doing in the village; it seemed that the group were not from the Earth Kingdom at all, which explained their odd attires.</p><p>"You don't understand." Natsu dismissed her declarations.</p><p>"I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?" the girl asked, obviously unaware of what had happened to the village's earthbenders; she had learned from Haru that they had been taken when the Fire Nation occupied the village, and now, she realised that his father must have been amongst them, and that was why he was missing.</p><p>"They could take Haru away. Like they took his father." she stressed, and the group's expressions shifted to ones of surprise.</p><p>"Took them... away?" the waterbender girl asked, touching the necklace she had tightly bound around her neck, with a carved blue ornament in the middle.</p><p>"Yes." Natsu stressed, before sighing, "That's why my son can never earthbend."</p><p>"Sorry." the Water Tribe girl apologised, "I didn't mean to..." she mumbled, before glancing behind her, toward her friends, "Maybe we should go now."</p><p>"I'm assuming you need a place to stay... that's why you were walking through the woods, right?" he asked them, and the group looked at each other for a few moments.</p><p>"Uh, yeah." the youngest of the group confirmed, "Do you know where we can stay?"</p><p>"We have space in our barn." Natsu admitted, "I don't want to be letting in strangers, but none of you look like you like the Fire Nation."</p><p>The elder boy nodded, stepping up toward the girl, "Yeah, we don't like them." he confirmed, "How big is your barn?"</p><p>"It's pretty big." Haru admitted, and the group nodded.</p><p>"Good, that means we can put Appa in there." the younger boy noted with a bright smile.</p><p>"Appa?" the Earth Kingdom boy asked him, and he raised a finger up.</p><p>"Appa's my flying bison." he clarified, and the Fire Nation girl narrowed her eyes, finding that to be an absurd statement if anything.</p><p>"Flying bison?" Ty Lee questioned, confused why anyone would have one of those; it only took her a few moments to realise who the boy was, and it made her more than a little nervous, "You're the Avatar." she concluded, and his straight, if not slightly pleased expression told her that was the case.</p><p>"Yeah, I am." he confirmed, before narrowing his eyes at her, "And who are you?"</p><p>"Aki, I'm Haru's cousin." she lied, and Haru visibly tensed up for a moment, before he stepped forward, approaching the Avatar.</p><p>"So, do you want to come stay in our barn?" he asked them, and the group nodded along, before he turned to face his mother, "I'll go show them where it is, so they... uh, don't get any unwanted attention." he suggested, and Natsu nodded, gesturing toward Ty Lee, "You can go with him, and make sure nobody sees this sky-bison. I don't want the guards coming around to the house."</p><p>"I will." she accepted her request, and part of her was a little eager; she wanted to meet the Avatar, partly because she knew that her friend was hunting him down, before she turned to face them, "Well, let's go."</p><p>She led Haru and the others out of the doorway, pushing it back open, before she glanced up and down the breadth of the street; she could see some guards still checking the other stores, searching for 'the arsonist', that being her, though in fact, she hadn't done any of the burning herself. Then, feeling confident they weren't going to walk into any guards along the way out of the village, she began to pace up the street, and the group kept speed behind her.</p><p>"What's with the guards?" the elder boy asked her, "They seem really... serious." he commented, and Haru decided to answer the question for her.</p><p>"Looking for some arsonist, who burned down a circus." he explained, "That was a few days ago." he added, the group nodding along.</p><p>"Why would somebody burn down a circus? Aren't those places meant to be fun?" the young Avatar asked, and Ty Lee decided to chime in with her own opinion on the matter.</p><p>"They are fun. I don't know why anybody would do that. It's just a bad thing to do." she argued, knowing full well the local guards thought she had done it; Ozai's men were ruthless and relentless, and they were willing to lie their way into getting her captured.</p><p>"Where's the sky-bison... uh, Appa?" Haru asked, and the young Avatar paced up ahead with a smile on his face.</p><p>"Oh, I know where. He's just waiting in the woods. I bet he'll be happy to meet some new people!" he exclaimed, making Ty Lee smile; he seemed like a light-hearted, enthusiastic individual, not the kind of person she would expect to be a threat against their nation.</p><p>"Not so loud, Aang." the elder boy warned him, and the girl nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Yeah, Aang. We should be a little bit more... on the down low."</p><p>"Uh... yeah." his expression faltered, "We can't have people finding out who I am." his voice lowered, before he glanced back at Haru and Ty Lee, "But these guys seem nice."</p><p>"I'm not that nice." the Earth Kingdom boy deflected, "I just really don't like the Fire Nation."</p><p>"Hey, hey, you're a good guy, Haru, don't sell yourself short." Ty Lee elbowed him with a grin, not wanting him to think less of himself because of the anger he rightfully held against her nation.</p><p>She wasn't that close to her parents, but she could sympathise with the idea of losing somebody to malicious, uncaring people; one of her best friends had almost died at the hands of assassins, only for doing her duty as a citizen of the Fire Nation.</p><p>"Thanks... Aki." he acknowledged her, pausing for a moment to recall her pseudonym.</p><p>The group paced on up the street toward the edge of the village proper, and Ty Lee glanced up toward the woods, realising that's where Haru must have been practicing his earthbending. The young Avatar and his friends paced on up toward the edge of the woods, making their way up the winding path which passed by pastures and small fields of crop to feed the small mining village. She and Haru weren't far behind, and slowed down as they neared the woods proper, both glancing back behind them; none of the guards seemed to be in the area, but that didn't mean that wouldn't be seen. She was sure that if the sky bison was as large as she would imagine it to be, then they'd have to move up and around the hills around the village to avoid getting spotted, before they could reach the barn. She heard the sound of a low groan beyond the treeline, and dared to step closer, a little curious what the creature looked like.</p><p>A few moments later, the young Air Nomad boy stepped back out, and he glanced around, "Where's your barn?"</p><p>"Up that way." Haru gestured to their left, up toward the hills where his family farm was located; she could actually see the barn already, but it was still some distance away.</p><p>"Oh, okay." he noted, "Let's take Appa through the woods so none of those soldiers see him." he decided, before gesturing for them to come closer, "You guys can come meet him. He won't bite, I promise."</p><p>"Yeah, he's a vegetarian." the Water Tribe boy assured them from a distance, peeking his head back out from behind a tree, "But he does sneeze... badly."</p><p>Haru and Ty Lee looked at each other, a little confused by his comment, but they strode on closer, both silently agreeing that they ought to see the sky-bison for themselves. They stepped closer, and upon moving around past a few trees, they both made sight of a massive furry creature, with six legs, a brown arrow marked on its head and a saddle on its back; it was probably the biggest creature she had seen, and there were some big sabre-tooth moose lions at the circus.</p><p>"Wow." she gasped, "It's big." she simply stated what she thought, and the young Avatar let out a little laugh.</p><p>"Yeah, he's big, but he's really nice. Though he is a little lazy at times." he admitted, glancing back toward the sky-bison, "Come on, buddy, we've got to go. You'll get some hay and a nice place to sleep. I promise." he assured the creature, which let out a low groan before it began walking along to the left, where the two Water Tribe teens were standing, helping direct it so it didn't walk out into the fields and make itself known to the Fire Nation garrison, something she was sure would end terribly.</p><p>The young Avatar leapt up onto the tuft of fur on his sky-bison's neck, and grabbed the reins which were tied around either of the creature's horns, using them to direct it along while Haru and Ty Lee followed after it. The Earth Kingdom boy was more than a little surprised by the creature, and looked like he wanted to try and pat it.</p><p>She chuckled and tapped on his shoulder, gesturing toward the creature, "I'm sure it won't bite." she assured him, and Haru reached out, patting one of the sky-bison's fur covered legs as it walked through the woods at a slow, calm pace, easy for them to keep up with.</p><p>"The fur's soft... like you could sleep in it." he noted, and the young Avatar turned around to face them.</p><p>"Aha, you can do that... but it's pretty itchy, and it can get in your nose and make you sneeze." he warned, "It's not as fun when he's shedding."</p><p>After a few moments silence, the Water Tribe girl turned her attention to the two of them, "Do you have a stove at your house?" she asked them, and Ty Lee nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, there's a stove. Every house has a stove." she stated as a matter of fact, before raising a brow, "Did you want to cook food?"</p><p>"Well, I thought that if we were going to stay with you, then maybe I should repay the favour. After scaring Haru's mum like that... I feel a little bad." she admitted, and Haru cringed slightly.</p><p>"You don't need to say sorry... you just didn't get the situation." he assured her, before glancing down toward his feet, obviously feeling uncomfortable about his earthbending abilities; maybe he regretted doing them in front of the Avatar and his friends, given that got them in the little predicament they'd found themselves in.</p><p>Natsu wouldn't turn them away, because she was a good, kind woman with a big heart, but she was obviously afraid; she had been afraid when Ty Lee had shown up in their barn, but obviously not because she was a fugitive, but because of Haru's abilities. If he got agitated, if Ozai's men had caught her, then he might have attacked them with his abilities, and then, she didn't know what they would have done to him.</p><p>"We have a tendency to get into... bad situations." the Water Tribesman admitted, before sighing, "Katara, why'd you go into the shop?"</p><p>"I... okay, I was just being impulsive."</p><p>"The last time I was impulsive, I got caught by the Fire Nation Army. Remember that?" he asked her, and Ty Lee raised a brow; she didn't comment, not wanting to make herself seem suspiciously interested in that matter, but Haru seemed to do her work for her.</p><p>"You got caught by the Fire Nation? How did you escape?"</p><p>"Yeah, they wanted to capture Aang, I think, but I was able to... well, we negotiated our way out of the situation." he explained, though Ty Lee was sure he was being purposefully vague.</p><p>"Huh." Haru mumbled, before glancing away, "I don't think that works for everybody."</p><p>"Well, Aang being the Avatar gives us a little leverage." the Water Tribesman clarified, before sighing, "But we can't do that again. I got chained to a post for a whole day."</p><p>"Sorry for not... uh, fighting better." Aang admitted, but his friend just seemed more annoyed with his own actions.</p><p>"No, that was my fault. I thought I could fight them off. I'm just not that good at fighting."</p><p>"I thought you did good at Kyoshi Island." the Water Tribe girl suggested, "Though you were wearing a dress at the time."</p><p>"Urgh, please don't." he grumbled, obviously not liking their mention of him wearing a dress, which Ty Lee and Haru both found amusing.</p><p>"Sorry, a dress? Why was he wearing a dress?" he asked, and the Water Tribe girl raised a finger.</p><p>"He was getting trained by the Kyoshi warriors, but he had to wear their uniform. They're all girls, you see, so their uniform was make-up and a green dress." she explained, before snickering, "If you want to see it, it's in the saddle right there."</p><p>"Wait, you kept that?" Aang asked him with a surprised face, "I thought you would never want to wear that again."</p><p>"I respect the time I spent there, Aang." he declared, placing a hand on his chest, "Suki taught me a lot."</p><p>The Water Tribe girl snickered at that comment, and she turned to face him, scrunching her lips up, as if she were kissing something; the boy was more than annoyed by that unusual display, clenching his fists as he walked ahead of them.</p><p>"I can't catch a break." he snarled as he paced up ahead, and Ty Lee cringed, not really wanting an argument to start over something so trivial.</p><p>"Maybe we should talk about something else." she suggested, and the Water Tribe girl nodded, turning back to face her.</p><p>"Yeah okay... well, maybe you guys could tell us about yourselves."</p><p>"Tell you about ourselves?" Haru asked, sounding a little uneased, scratching the back of his scalp, "Well, there's not much to say."</p><p>"Nothing at all." Ty Lee stressed, remembering that she was meant to be Aki, "This village isn't that interesting." she tried to argue, but it seemed that they weren't persuaded, and the young Avatar turned to look down at them while leading his sky-bison along.</p><p>"What about that circus thing? That's interesting. Somebody burning down a circus just sounds... evil."</p><p>"The Fire Nation burns down things all the time. It's not as weird as you'd think." the Earth Kingdom boy argued, before he eyed Ty Lee, knowing that they couldn't speak about her true identity, or what had actually happened at the circus.</p><p>"Maybe they just don't like circus-performers." the Water Tribe girl spoke up, "Not that I've ever been to a circus. Did you two go to it before it got burnt down?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah, Aki did." Haru deflected to Ty Lee, knowing as an actual acrobat who had worked at Shuzumu's circus, she could actually make up some story about it.</p><p>"It was good. The performers there really know what they're doing. And they've got heaps of crazy animals they train... nothing like this sky-bison though." she noted, glancing toward the creature, in awe of its size, and really just the fact it existed, despite the fact it had been a century since the Air Temples were burnt to the ground.</p><p>"Huh... I haven't been to a circus in a while." the young Avatar noted, before chuckling, "Last time I was at one, I got chased out because I was doing airbending tricks... they said I stole the show."</p><p>Ty Lee raised a brow, wondering how he had gone to a circus without being found out by the Fire Nation, "How did you go to a circus without the Fire Nation finding you?"</p><p>"Oh." his expression shifted to one of unease, "It was before the war."</p><p>"Be-" she mumbled, before her eyes widened, "Wait- you're..."</p><p>"I got frozen for a hundred years." Aang clarified, and seemed to be saddened by the fact, "I... It just happened." he admitted, "I've only been out of that iceberg for a month, and now... things are so different."</p><p>"A hundred years is a long time." she conceded, "Back then... the world must have been so much... nicer."</p><p>"That's what I was thinking." Haru admitted, "Was the Earth Kingdom better back then?"</p><p>"I mean... people were nicer back then, and you could always get nice food in the market. The only Fire Nation people I ever saw around were merchants... unless I was in the Fire Nation."</p><p>"What... what was that like?" the Earth Kingdom boy asked, obviously a little curious about her country, which she hadn't talked that much about, knowing that he didn't like it.</p><p>"People there were... they were nice. I guess the food was a little weird, but I think that hasn't changed." he explained, and Ty Lee tried to hold back a laugh; people from the other nations probably didn't like the spiciness of Fire Nation cuisine that much, "I even had friends there." he added, before his expression became a little more nervous, "Now I only... eh, never mind." he shook his head, "Things were nice, and there was no war."</p><p>"I guess things weren't always like this." Haru conceded, before eyeing Ty Lee, "Maybe the Fire Nation wasn't so bad back then."</p><p>"The Fire Nation isn't evil." Aang stressed, "They just... forgot what being nice was like." he argued, and the Earth Kingdom boy scrunched up his lips; he almost seemed like he was about to say something nasty about her country, but he held his tongue, and smiled at her, which was reassuring.</p><p>"Not everybody."</p><p>"Huh?" the Avatar asked, not understanding his comment, "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Not everybody from there is mean." he admitted, and Aang smiled at him.</p><p>"Y-yeah, that's right." he agreed with him, "There are good people everywhere."</p><hr/><p>Haru opened his eyes, suddenly woken from his slumber by three loud knocks on the door; he was a little surprised by it, and glanced around, only to see that it was very dark, and he could barely see anything other than the silhouette of his window, peering outside, where couldn't see anything just yet. He pulled himself up from his sheets, glancing toward the door of his bedroom. He thought it might have been one of their new guests coming to ask where the outhouse or something like that was, but he could tell the sound was from the front of the house, not the rear. He wiped the sleep from his eyes, and pulled himself out of the bed, hearing more knocks on the door, this time louder. He wanted to groan in frustration, unsure what somebody was doing knocking on the door at that time of night; he realised that it could have had to do with Ty Lee again, and that was why he tensed up when he heard footsteps moving down the hall, and then, the sound of the door opening up.</p><p>"What... what are you doing here?" the Fire Nation girl asked the visitors, her words not any indication as to who had just shown up at the house.</p><p>"That's not him." Haru heard an unmistakable voice; it was the old man Katara and he saved from the mine collapse with his earthbending, and that didn't make him feel comfortable, or relieved- it made him feel afraid.</p><p>The visit had nothing to do with Ty Lee, it seemed, and the next voice he heard all but confirmed that, "You silly old fool! You took us to the wrong house!"</p><p>"What's going on here?" Haru heard his mother's voice as he stepped out of his bedroom's doorway, having pulled his tunic back onto his body, so he wasn't going to show up to the door shirtless and unprepared for whatever he might face.</p><p>"Aunt, these men just showed up. They must be looking for something." Ty Lee explained as Haru further strode down the hallway.</p><p>"He said there was an earthbender who lived here." he heard the same gruff, agitated voice speak up again, "You, woman." he spoke up louder, presumably referring to Haru's mother.</p><p>"Yes?" she asked, "What is it that you want?"</p><p>"This man reported that there's an earthbender living here." he explained, "Where is he?" he demanded, and Haru refused to step any closer to the door, knowing what was about to happen.</p><p>"There's no earthbender here." Natsu denied what was being claimed, "You must have gotten the wrong house."</p><p>The earthbender they were looking for covered his mouth, trying to quieten his breathing as the panic set in; he could see the rear door of the house, and knew he could run for it. Maybe Aang or Katara could help him; they were benders, and they seemed like they knew how to fight, or at least, deal with dangerous people like Fire Nation soldiers. Ty Lee as well, though he didn't want her to do that; she was in perhaps more danger than he was- he might be sent wherever his father and the other earthbenders had been sent, but the Fire Nation girl was wanted by people who might not care if she was alive or not. She knew something, that was certain enough, and somebody wanted her gone for it.</p><p>"The old man can't be that stupid." Haru heard one of the men speak up, before he stepped forward, and the others seemed to as well, if their footsteps were any indication, "Get out of my way, girl." he demanded, and the Earth Kingdom boy tensed up as he realised what might happen.</p><p>He knew she should just move, but Ty Lee wasn't someone who was going to give up just because some annoyed soldiers told her to; he hadn't known her for that long, but he trusted that she wasn't going to let the soldiers into the house to find and take Haru.</p><p>"No." she refused, "You're at the wrong house." she retorted, rather calmly at that, but the soldiers didn't seem persuaded.</p><p>"Search the damn house!" one of them shouted, presumably the leader, and he heard the sound of Ty Lee being pushed, and a moment later, her back slamming into the wall.</p><p>Haru didn't know what to do, his heart-beating like a drum in his chest; he could run, but that would just turn the attention to Ty Lee, who wouldn't be safe now. The Avatar nhis friends weren't safe either, and it was all his fault; he shouldn't have saved that man- he was a callous, uncaring bastard for giving him up, after he had saved him from being crushed to death by some rocks. It wasn't just the Fire Nation that didn't care about his life, but his own countrymen as well; that made him furious, but he was more afraid than angry, and when he heard Ty Lee's voice shout his way, there was only one thing he could.</p><p>"Haru, run!" she almost screamed, and the Earth Kingdom boy heeded her demand, running right for the rear door of the house, which he kicked open, before running right for the barn; the three strangers he'd let stay there were sound asleep, and though he hated to wake them up, they were the only people who could help him now.</p><p>He heard the sound of what sounded like a strong wind, but when he turned around, he realised it wasn't wind at all, it was fire; his eyes widened with fear, and he continued his sprint toward the barn. When he reached it, he pushed the doors wide open, glancing around at the sleeping rolls and the massive sky-bison; the sound of the door opening woke them up, and though Aang and Katara were more alert, Sokka wasn't going to wake so easily, it seemed.</p><p>"What's going on?" the young Avatar asked, rising up from the saddle of his sky-bison, and Haru just pointed behind him.</p><p>"The Fire Nation, they're here!" he exclaimed, the Water Tribe girl looking his way with a face of dread.</p><p>"Oh no." she gasped, before her eyes widened, "The old man." she deduced immediately, and as she rose up to her feet, Sokka groaned with frustration.</p><p>"What'd I say, Katara? We're eating fireballs for breakfast." he spoke to his sister with a clearly annoyed tone, before pulling himself out of the sleeping roll, "Well, it's been a while since I've whacked some... oh." he trailed off as he clearly made sight of Haru's house, which was presently burning down from the firebenders reckless attacks, presumably directed at Ty Lee and his mother; he could see the latter running out of the house, with a frantic look on her face, and he only felt more guilt.</p><p>"This is all my fault." he raised a hand to his face, and Katara stepped up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"No, it's mine. We should have just found another way." she admitted, "We'll stop them, Haru." he assured her, but he shook his head.</p><p>"It doesn't matter, there's more of them... and where are we going to go?" he asked, the Water Tribe girl cringing.</p><p>"I don't know." she admitted, "Where's a source of water? I need to put out that fire." she asked, and Haru immediately pointed over toward the water pump just by the barn; she ran toward it, and began to bend the water out from the spigot, while Sokka and Aang both got themselves ready, and former readying some weapons as they all eyed the house and Natsu, who was running frantically toward them.</p><p>"Mum!" he called out to her, pacing to meet her as she accidentally tripped over as she was running; he helped her up, and he could see the fear in her eyes, "You need to get into the barn. We'll... we'll try and fight them off." he explained, "Katara will deal with the fire." he assured her, and she shook her head.</p><p>"They've got Ty Lee." she warned him quietly, "They knocked her out when she tried to fight them." she explained with a clearly fearful tone, and the Earth Kingdom boy's eyes turned to his burning home.</p><p>"She's trying to save me." he realised what she was doing, by drawing the soldier's attention; they were going to capture her, and that might at least provide him and his mother a chance to run, "I have to stop them, Mum." he admitted, and she nodded, understanding his reasoning and intentions; with the help of Aang, Sokka and Katara, he at least had a chance to stop them, unlike the certain defeat he'd face by himself.</p><p>"I know." she admitted, before they both watched as Katara drew out a long stream of water from the spigot, throwing the water over their house, which dampened the flames, and seemed to help stop them from spreading any further.</p><p>Aang then ran forward, spinning his staff around to create a gust of wind which got rid of any other flames by snuffing them out. As they approached the rear door, Haru realised some of the soldiers were coming to rush out of it to attack them, and the Avatar quickly responded by spinning his staff around, whipping up a cylinder of air that spun around both him and Haru, deflecting away their flames up into the sky above them, creating a rather impressive display. When he let go of the air, allowing Haru to clearly see where the soldiers were, he raised his fist, bending some of the earth underneath the soldiers to break their footing, which allowed Aang to easily knock them over with his airbending. Sokka and Katara rushed to join them, ready to assist as they stepped inside.</p><p>"Get them!" he heard one of the soldiers shout at the group as they entered the house, and Haru drew some dirt from behind him, solidifying it into a small shield that he could block their flames with; it only took two blasts before it crumbled and became a cloud of dust.</p><p>The young Avatar threw his staff down, creating a blast of air which knocked the two soldiers back, while the others decided to flee further into the house. Katara held some of the water she had left over from her water stream, and used it to blast one of them in the back, throwing him down face-first onto the floor as he tried to get away. Sokka drew out his odd weapon from a sling over his back, and looked ready to throw it at the soldiers, but as they moved around a dividing wall, it was impossible for him to do so.</p><p>"They're actually afraid of us." he noted, seeming amused by the fact, before he dropped his hand down, as they glanced around the interior, Haru taking note of how much damage the flames had already done.</p><p>He could see that furnishings had been thrown about by the blast of wind, thought that it was all recoverable from what he could see. That wasn't reassuring in the slightest, given he was sure he and his mother would need to flee now that the Fire Nation knew he was an earthbender. He and the others made their way through the house, and one of the Fire Nation soldiers tried to sneak attack Sokka as he turned around the corner; the Water Tribe boy was able to grab the firebenders hand, before tripping him over by kicking him in the shin. Another firebender tried to attack him, and he threw his weapon, striking him square in the chest, making him trip back and fall onto the table that Haru and his mother would usually eat at.</p><p>Rather than being afraid of the enemy, Sokka merely seemed annoyed by their persistent attempts to fight, "These stupid ash-makers don't know when to give up."</p><p>Another soldier stepped out from a corner, trying to attack them with a few quick fireballs, but Aang spun his staff around, deflecting the flames away, withering them away before they could set anything alight. He then used his staff to create a blast of air which whacked him into the wall, knocking him out, before he spun the staff around and created another gust of wind, forcing the soldiers back and throwing them off of them feet. Haru, still not seeing Ty Lee anywhere in the house, rushed forward to grab the downed soldier by the collar, and decided to ask the only question he could.</p><p>"Where is she?" he demanded, and the soldier, though dazed from being thrown to the ground, seemed a little amused by his question.</p><p>"The fugitive's in chains, and the boss is already taking her away. You'll be next, dirt-eater." he warned him, and Haru, infuriated by what they had done, punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.</p><p>"They must have taken Aki." Aang deduced, his expression shifting to one of fear, "We have to get her." he declared, and raced toward the front door of the house.</p><p>Haru followed after him, and when he reached the door, he made sight of a few Fire Nation soldiers, one of which was carrying an unconscious Ty Lee; he reached to his side, feeling the earth around him, and decided that he had to act before they got away. He pulled a mass of dirt out from ground beside him, and tensed his grip, forcing the dirt to condense and harden before he threw his right hand forward, sending the rock careening toward the Fire Nation soldiers. When the rock hit one of them, they were thrown to the ground, and he momentarily smiled, feeling like he'd done something to stop them. There were still three more of them, including the leader, who were running back with haste toward the village, where they were probably going to find assistance from their fellow garrison members. He glanced to the side, hearing a groan of pain, and he saw the old man who had ratted him out, clenching his left arm which must have been burnt in the crossfire.</p><p>"Why did you tell them?!" Katara shouted at him out of the blue, obviously furious that he had betrayed them, "Haru saved your life!" he told him as she pointed her right hand at her; she didn't have any water with her anymore, though he doubted she wouldn't use her fist- she was a girl with a sense of honour that he found admirable, and in betraying that, the old man had earned her ire.</p><p>"I- I had no choice." he stammered, "Somebody would have found out... I- I knew they would ask me what happened." he tried to defend himself, only agitating the Water Tribe girl further; she looked like she was about to hit him, but her brother grabbed her by the arm, clearly not thinking that was a good idea.</p><p>"We have no time for this." Sokka decided for her, sounding just as agitated as she was, though clearly for different reasons, before turning to face Haru, "Where would they take her?"</p><p>"To their base. It's the old town hall." he explained, before he began running down the hill knowing it was only a matter of time before the soldiers gathered their strength.</p><p>If the fleeing soldiers knew Aang was the Avatar, it wouldn't just be the local garrison after them, but any Fire Nation forces that felt eager enough; he'd heard enough from around the village to know the Fire Nation didn't hold a high opinion of the master of the four elements. They had to act now, or things were going to get a lot harder, and Ty Lee might remain their prisoner for much longer than he'd like her to be.</p><p>"Let's go, right now!" he demanded, and the group heeded his command as he began to run down the hill in the direction the soldiers had gone.</p><p>Haru hoped that his mother would be alright, but he knew that the soldiers were going to be down for a while after the beating they'd received; hopefully that would give them enough time to reach Ty Lee and get her out safely. He didn't know how badly they'd hit her, but she could be out cold for a while; obviously, they knew who she was now, as the soldier clearly called her 'the fugitive', and not something like 'peasant'.</p><p>The group raced down the slope, following the track that would lead them back down toward the village; he could see the lights from the houses down there, and was sure that the other soldiers might still be awake, even if they weren't on duty. It couldn't have been that late in the night, but that worried him more than anything; if they weren't fast enough, Ty Lee would be thrown in some cell, and it would be a lot harder for them to help her. He could see the tracks the soldiers left behind, and their silhouettes in the distance; they were too far away for him to try and hit with his earthbending, as he wasn't that good at it to begin with, and hadn't tried throwing boulders that far, given it was a little dangerous to do so when he was trying to practice in secret.</p><p>"These guys are running really fast." he heard Aang comment, sounding a little exasperated and annoyed.</p><p>"Either they're afraid of us, or they're going to get back-up." Haru guessed, and Sokka didn't seem to like that idea.</p><p>"Our odds aren't very good, are they?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.</p><p>As they drew closer to the edge of the village proper, he could make out some voices in the distance, and he was unsure if they were from the soldiers or just the confused locals, who probably had no idea what was going on. He heard a shout, recognising it as being from the leader of the garrison, who had come to arrest him.</p><p>"Get out here!" he shouted demandingly, "We've got some angry kids on our tail!"</p><p>Haru reached his hands down as they ran down the street, nearing the town hall, where he knew the soldiers would be, and with them, Ty Lee; he could feel the earth below him, and was sure that when the time came, he would be able to use it to his advantage. When he made sight of the soldiers, he could see one of them was holding Ty Lee, whose arms and legs were already bound, and she still seemed to be unconscious; the other two were already in firebending forms, ready to fight them off; he assumed there were more soldiers inside the building, just about to exit to assist their comrades, so he knew they had to be fast.</p><p>He reached his hands forward, bending the ground underneath all three of the soldiers; two of them were fast enough to move out of his grasp, but one didn't, and found his legs sunk into the ground; that made him an easy picking for Sokka, who threw his weapon at him, the spinning blade of sorts careening into the soldier's helmet which knocking him over, inadvertently ripping his feet from the grip Haru had put on them. Aang and Katara both rushed to try and reach Ty Lee, the former tripping over the soldier who was holding her with a gust of wind right under his feet, before he fell, dropping the bound and unconscious girl by the steps of leading into the town hall.</p><p>Though they moved to pick her up, Katara was hit by a fireball in the side, and cried out as she fell over; Haru retaliated with a boulder that he drew out from the ground, tossing it toward the soldier, who was able to neutralise his attack with a fire blast, shattering the rock before it could strike him. Aang reached over to help the Water Tribe girl, instead of moving to reach Ty Lee, so Sokka tried to instead, though he was immediately confronted by what Haru was expecting. Six soldiers, two of them benders and the other four non-benders, rushed out, and immediately took form to assist their comrades.</p><p>"Aw, come on." the Water Tribe boy groaned with frustration as he drew a club from his back, readying it in hand to block the sword of a soldier who rushed at him.</p><p>"That's an airbender!" the leader warned his comrades, pointing to Aang, which drew all their attention toward the young Avatar.</p><p>Haru snarled, deciding to take matters into his own hands, raising his hands up to create a wall of earth that blocked the soldiers from moving toward them, importantly keeping Ty Lee open for them to reach. Sokka reached over toward her, shaking her by the arm to try and wake her, but to no avail, while Aang stood between her and the leader of the soldiers, who was still intent on fighting them.</p><p>"You must be the Avatar." he deduced, "The Fire Lord's going to appreciate it when we give him to you in chains." he declared confidently, and the Water Tribe boy scoffed.</p><p>"Oh no, he won't." he assured him, which seemed like a rather weird thing to say, though Haru just guessed he was trying to throw him off.</p><p>Ignoring his retort, the soldier rushed at Aang and Haru, and they both attacked him with their own bending, the earthbender breaking up the ground below his feet to weaken his footing while the airbender threw his staff in a sideways motion, creating an air blast which threw him into a nearby shop, inadvertently breaking one of the windows. The pair looked at each other, the Earth Kingdom boy thinking they had done a pretty good job.</p><p>"You're a pretty fast bender, Haru." he observed, "Maybe we could spar after all this is over." he suggested, making him snicker; he hadn't actually sparred somebody before, given how secretive he was about his bending, and he thought it might be a good idea- if he had to fight the Fire Nation again, he might as well get some practice.</p><p>Suddenly, the earth wall that Haru had created was destroyed by what seemed to be a number of simultaneous fire blasts, and the dust and smoke that resulted forced him to cover his mouth, lest he breathe it in. He turned his gaze down toward Ty Lee, whom Sokka had shielded from the blast, before glancing at Katara, who was standing off to the side, shocked and clearly afraid of what might come next.</p><p>Looking at the source of the explosion, he noticed that it wasn't from the two firebenders who had been standing there, but a group of five men, all of them benders, and wearing distinctive armour that signalled they weren't ordinary soldiers. It took him a moment to realise, but he was sure that they were the men after Ty Lee, and whatever she knew.</p><p>"The fugitive is coming with us." their leader declared, and Haru recalled his voice from the group that had come to their house, looking for Ty Lee the night she showed up at their house injured; he and his men were wearing helmets now, so it was hard to recognise them to begin with.</p><p>"No, no she isn't." he snarled in return, not willing to give up Ty Lee's freedom after what she just done for him; he drew up three boulders from the ground at once, and tossed them at the firebenders, who sent out two fire whips, each of them grappling his arms, making him scream out in pain.</p><p>Sokka and Aang immediately moved to help, the airbender breaking his ephemeral shackles, which left hot red burn marks on his forearms, while the Water Tribe boy thrust his club up, whacking one of them in the leg as they tried to grab Ty Lee. Katara reached out toward a trough of water that was some distance away, and pulled out the liquid, giving Haru his own idea; he reached to either side of the stairs that the men were standing on, and drew out pillars of earth from both sides, shooting otu the rock right at the firebenders; that left them momentarily distracted, and allowed Sokka to pull Ty Lee a little further away from the enemy.</p><p>They retaliated in full force, throwing their arms forward and conjuring fire streams which they sent into the group, forcing Aang to spin his staff around to try and disperse the flames away from them; he was partially successful, the flames flickering around them, but the heat was painful, and Haru was unable to see where the men were, and thus, couldn't hit them with a well-aimed boulder or pillar. Katara helped at the perfect time, tossing the mass of water she had collected right at the soldiers, dousing their flames at once, creating a blast of steam which momentarily disguised them in a cloud of water vapour. Haru reached down to help Sokka pick up Ty Lee, who seemed to be coming to her senses; they were knocked back by another quick succession of fire blasts, and the Earth Kingdom boy raised his hand up to try and block the flames with a wall of earth; it seemed to work, though he doubted it would hold for long.</p><p>The Avatar stood behind them and sent an air blast their way, the sound of metal hitting the ground suggesting that he had knocked some of them back for the moment, "We can't stay here!" he shouted at them frantically, "We need to run!"</p><p>"I can keep them distracted with some walls for a bit." he decided, knowing that airbending could only keep back the flames while Aang was in focus, but walls were something that held for a bit longer without forcing Haru to expend energy, "Run!" he pleaded to them, and Katara grabbed the young Avatar by the arm as they both dashed up the street, aiming to get out of the village as fast as they could.</p><p>Sokka remained by his side, looking toward the Fire Nation girl with concern, "Aki, wake up." he shook her, and she groaned, blinking a few times as Haru was forced to pull up another wall closer to them as a fire stream shattered his last one.</p><p>"A-Aki?" she mumbled, before shaking her head, her expression shifting to one of concern, "Oh spirits." she gasped, the fear palpable in her voice, "We need to... I need to- get up!" she exclaimed, trying to move, yet she was unable to as her hands and feet were still bound.</p><p>The Water Tribe warrior drew out his weapon once more, having picked it up before attending to her, and used it to cut the binds on her hands and feet, before he glanced toward his sister and Aang, who they could see in the distance, waiting of them to continue down the street after them.</p><p>"We need to run." he decided, and Ty Lee pointed exactly where he was intending to go.</p><p>"You need to run. They want me." she observed, "Haru you can move the ground, right?" she asked, and he nodded.</p><p>"Why?" he asked, and she pointed to the ground behind them, near the wall of a house.</p><p>"I want you to shoot me up onto that roof." she explained, and Sokka almost laughed at the suggestion.</p><p>"You want to outrun them on the rooftops?" he asked, and she nodded, obviously having confidence in her idea.</p><p>"That's exactly what I want to do." she stressed, before moving to the spot she wanted to be launched from, "Do it!" she almost shouted at Haru, who obliged her, raising his hands up to create a earthen pillar beneath her feet, shooting her up into the air; he and Sokka watched in awe as she landed on the roof on her own two feet, taking a form that told her that she had done that before, in some shape or form.</p><p>The two boys looked at each other for a moment, before the Water Tribe teen made a mad dash toward Aang and Katara, and Haru didn't waste a moment to run right after him; he could hear the men behind him, agitated by what he had just done.</p><p>"Forget the damn earthbender! Get her!" he heard their leader shout out as they ran away with haste, the two boys not faltering in their sprint until they caught up with Aang and Katara, who were clearly surprised by what had just happened.</p><p>"You shot her onto the roof!" Aang exclaimed, both shocked and amazed, the Water Tribe girl seeming far more concerned by it.</p><p>"How... what is she doing?" she asked, and Haru shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"I have no idea." he admitted honestly, before he turned his gaze back toward the path, knowing they had to get back to his mother, and probably pack as much stuff as they could onto the sky-bison- they needed to leave at once, "We need to get back to my house. She can handle herself." he explained, and they nodded, following after him as he began running up the slope, back in the direction of his house.</p><p>"Wait..." he heard Sokka mumble, "Is Aki the arsonist?" he asked him, and Haru grimaced; he knew there was little point in lying.</p><p>"Yes, but she wasn't the one who did the burning. Those men did." he explained, making their expressions shift to ones of confusion.</p><p>"Why?" Aang asked him with a perplexed face.</p><p>"Because she knows things. I don't even know what." he admitted honestly, and the group seemed even more confused.</p><p>"Is... Aki even her name?" Katara asked him, "Is she really your cousin?"</p><p>"No, but she is a good person.” he stressed, "She's helped me even though she really has no reason to." he acknowledged the fact of the matter; Ty Lee didn't seem like she knew the Earth Kingdom well, or trusted them in general, but she was willing to place her trust in him and his mother, and she had put herself in between him and the very men who sought to do away with her, for whatever she knew that was so dangerous to them.</p><p>"Who is she?" Aang asked, before narrowing his eyes, "Is she from that circus that burned down?"</p><p>"Yes." he confirmed, and Sokka's eyes narrowed, seeming interested by that fact.</p><p>"This was a Fire Nation circus?" he asked Haru, who nodded, "What's her real name?"</p><p>"Her name's Ty Lee." he explained, and Sokka snorted.</p><p>"Well, that solves that mystery." he concluded, which only further confused the Earth Kingdom boy; the way he phrased that, it almost seemed like he was actually looking for her, or at least, wanted to find her.</p><p>"Wait, you know who she is?" he asked as they continued running toward his house.</p><p>The Water Tribe boy nodded, before his eyes widened, "Did...did she have a letter with her? Some papers?"</p><p>"Y-yeah, she did." he nodded, remembering that she had taken great care to keep those letters closed and out of his view, though at present Haru's mind was more focused on the fact that Sokka knew anything about that; why he did, he had no idea, but he seemed rather sure of himself in asking about Ty Lee and her letters, "She stuffed them under the table just in case the Fire Nation came around again. Do... do you know what's going on?"</p><p>The Water Tribesman nodded, and he turned to face his friends, "We need to make sure those papers aren't burnt, otherwise the Fire Nation is going to start killing each other."</p><p>"What's in those letters?" he asked, now genuinely afraid of what he might have gotten himself into.</p><p>"I'm unsure exactly, but it has something to do with the plot against the Fire Lord's life."</p><p>"Ty Lee wants to kill the Fire Lord?" he asked, shocked that she could be involved with such a thing; she seemed far too kind for it, though it made a little more sense when he considered how heinously the Fire Nation had treated his own people- perhaps she wanted to avenge them.</p><p>"No, no, she doesn't. She's trying to stop that from happening." he explained, "Those guys we just fought, they must be working for the Fire Lord's brother."</p><p>"Those are Ozai's men?" Aang asked him, and the Water Tribesman nodded.</p><p>"Wait, so are you saying we just did Azula's job for her?" Katara asked, and he snickered; Haru still had no idea what was going on, but he knew at least that Ty Lee wasn't intent on murdering anyone, which was a relief to hear.</p><p>"Yeah, pretty much." he confirmed, and the Earth Kingdom boy's eyes darted between the trio.</p><p>"Who's Azula?"</p><p>"A Princess of the Fire Nation. She captured me, but it turns out she wants to be my firebending master." Aang explained nonchalantly, and Haru's jaw dropped; that was implying that Ty Lee had something to do with the royal family of the Fire Nation, which made her showing up at his barn even more absurd.</p><p>"Okay, how did that happen?"</p><p>"It's a long story."</p>
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<a name="section0033"><h2>33. The Courage To Act</h2></a>
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  <em>The morning sun shone down upon the courtyard, and Zuko and Azula eyed each other intently, standing in their firebending forms. The Prince knew his sister was intent on defeating him, and he felt the same; it was rare for them to spar, given that he tried to avoid it out of fear of being humiliated, but he was feeling notably confident that morning. He had had a good conversation with his uncle about the merits of testing his strength and working on his firebending through actual practice that pushed himself to his limits, so he could learn where he needed to best improve. So, instead of looking at the spar pessimistically, he felt confident that even if he lost, he could learn from it, and be a step closer to victory. He might have felt exasperated and short of breath as he eyed his sister down, but he knew that he was one step closer to reaching her level of skill by facing off against her for as long as he had.</em>
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  <em>The Prince had his hands up, ready to create flames at a moment's notice to counter whatever his sister had to throw his way, and he waited patiently for her to return to the barrages she had been sending his way; Azula didn't seem that fussed by the spar that was seemingly about to conclude, and was rather sloppy in her stance. Zuko was smart enough to realise this was a farce, to try and lull him into complacency; his assumption was quickly proved correct when she threw her left fist forward, a blindingly bright blue fire stream coursing out of her fist, which he was barely able to dodge by crouching down below it. His eyes widened when he realised that her sloppy stance was not the distraction, but the fire stream itself; she had swung her foot out while the flames blinded him, and sent a thin but scathingly hot arc of fire at his legs, making him cringe as it hit his left leg, and he jumped over it, struggling to keep his footing when he touched back down on the ground.</em>
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  <em>Zuko kept himself quiet, not wanting to show that the attack had hurt him, and instead, turned his attention to her next attack, which was a fire whip, aiming to grapple his already hurting left leg. He grit his teeth and punched a fireball right at the whip, hoping to disintegrate her attack before she could actually pull him off his feet. Though the fireball ripped right through the fire whip, Azula moved immediately into spinning her foot around to charge a bolt on her sole, which she fired out right at his shoulder; he weaved out of the way, before kicking his left leg up, which sent a wide fire blast in her direction, momentarily blocking her from attacking him as she raised her arms up to defend herself.</em>
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  <em>"Not bad, Zuzu." she mocked him as she threw her hands apart, forcing the fire blast to part, before it withered away into the air, "But I can do you one better."</em>
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  <em>He tensed up, moving back into a defensive form, with his left hand forward, ready to retaliate and counter whatever move she had planned. The Princess wasted no time to charge up two fire streams in her palms, not letting the attacks free at her brother, but instead letting the pressure built as she held her hands toward the pavement; his eyes widened, realising that she wasn't actually going to attack him with the fire streams, but use them as propulsion. Knowing this Zuko drew his hands back behind himself, taking a deep breath, and waiting for what he knew would come his way.</em>
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  <em>A moment later, she launched herself up, releasing the fire streams which allowed her to soar into the air, over twice her height, and as expected, spun herself around to send two charged fire bolts from her heels right at him. Zuko smirked as he threw his hands forward, taking the energy he had gathered in his breath to create a massive wall of flames, which burst up right in Azula's path, forcing her to fall right into it; he was disappointed when he saw her feet breach through the wall of flames as she fell over the top of him, landing right behind Zuko, where she was able to immediately throw another fire whip to his left leg, grappling it as he spun himself around to face her.</em>
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  <em>Knowing he only had a moment before his legs were pulled from underneath him, he charged a fire bolt in his right palm, and just as Azula pulled his left leg out, he swung his arm at her, the fire bolt loosened in the form of a narrow, but intense arc, which cut right across her chest. If it weren't for the fire-proof clothing they wore, she would have had her tunic ripped open; despite being fireproof, her layered tunic was not enough to block the brunt of the attack, and she was forced back as Zuko fell down onto one knee.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, you're angry now, aren't you?" she prodded him, and the Prince didn't respond, simply clenching his right fist as he charged a firebolt underneath it; Azula didn't seem to note this as he exaggerated his breathing, trying to make it seem as if he was both angry and exhausted- he was neither, simply calculating how fast he would need to throw his fist to outpace whatever attack she had in mind.</em>
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  <em>When she moved to force him down to the ground with a flame-covered fist, he threw his left hand forward to grasp her wrist; though her flames burned his arm, she obviously wasn't intending to use them to hurt him, but simply force her brother to submit. Her cocky expressions shifted to one of surprise as Zuko shot the bolt of flames he had been charging right into her gut, winding her and making the flames she had in her hand falter. Left open by Zuko's surprise attack, he was able to hold a flame covered palm against her cheek, the Princess's expression shifted from one of pain, to one that he didn't expect.</em>
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  <em>"I'm impressed, Brother." she conceded, "You feigned weakness... that's not something I'd expect from somebody like you."</em>
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  <em>"I learned it from you and your propensity for lying." he retorted, reminding her of all the trickery she had used against him when they were younger; though he'd never admit it, he admired her skill in that regard, and knew that it would be useful once he had to start dealing with politicians and generals alike.</em>
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  <em>"Oh, I'm flattered, Zuzu." she smirked at him, before kneeing him in the gut, making the Prince wince as he fell onto his back.</em>
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  <em>"I- urgh..." he groaned as he struggled to recover himself, his sister looking at him, rather amused with what she had done, "I thought the fight was over."</em>
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  <em>"I don't remember forfeiting." she raised a finger to her chin, and he sighed, frustrated that he had failed to simply gain a verbal confirmation of his victory, which he had clearly achieved before she winded him herself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What, do you have to write a scroll to inform the Fire Lord of your surrender?" he mocked her as he pulled himself off his back, and the Princess chuckled, seeming amused by his comment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I would hardly call this a battle, Zuzu." she retorted, "I had everything under control."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, you sure did when I punched you in the gut." he sarcastically reminded her, before he rose back up to his feet, "Can you even acknowledge when I actually win?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can." she told him something that seemed sarcastic at first, though her expression didn't really suggest she was trying to agitate him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So I didn't." he concluded from her lack of affirmation, and turned around to look toward the changing area, where he decided he would be heading, given that he considered the spar concluded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zuko wasn't going to waste anymore time there when he could be catching up with his studies, or perhaps, going to talk with his uncle, so he might receive an informal tutorial of his choosing; something about not wasting his breath seemed suitable, given how fast his sister seemed to be moving, and the fact she looked perfectly fine after all their fighting.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What, are you running away?" she asked him as he strode toward the changing area, and he didn't bother looking back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm getting out of these sweaty clothes." he retorted, and as he approached the changing area, he grabbed his collar and began to untie the buttons of the vest he was wearing; it was the usual attire he wore when practicing, as it was light which allowed him to move unhindered by unnecessary amounts of fabric- such attire was suited for formal occasions, and not for a fight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You know, Zuko, I'd like to fight you when you have those dao of yours." his sister spoke up, obviously having followed him into the changing area; he huffed, wondering whether she was really curious about his fighting style and skills, or merely wanted to find another way and situation to beat him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you know how swordsmen fight?" he asked his sister bluntly, and she shrugged her shoulders as she untied her waistband, turning around to pick up her chest-piece, which she had been wearing before their spar.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I don't, actually." she conceded, "That's why I want to see. I can't have some dao-wielding assassin come and give me an actual fight."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He scrunched his lips up, realising that a way of interpreting her words was that she thought he might try to kill her, though he assumed that was a joke; Azula had always had a morbid sense of humour, so he decided to just ignore that. As he pulled his vest off, he wondered why she would want to avoid such a fight, knowing that his sister was rather pleased when she thrashed people.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why would you not want an actual fight?" he asked her, and the Princess smirked as he pulled off her top.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It's not the fight I want to avoid, but the struggle." she warned, "If I killed them within a few seconds, that would make it all the more terrifying for whoever sent them my way. Gaining a reputation of being unkillable is certainly something I would like." she explained her intentions, before picking up her fresh top, wrapping it around her torso before she picked up her waistband once more.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hmph." he mumbled, wondering why his sister would be thinking about assassins at the age of fourteen; he tensed up as he recalled the story about their cousin's demise, and then her comments made a whole more sense- she wasn't just trying to brag, she genuinely wanted to avoid getting herself killed in what she might deem a 'stupid fashion'.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He cleared his throat, not wanting to think about such things, and decided to try and continue the conversation to distract himself, "And who wants to kill you, Azula?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Nobody yet." she gave her opinion, though her cold expression told him she felt that might change, "Being a member of the Royal Family gives us privileges, but it also creates dangers." she warned him, "I know Uncle has had to face a number of Earth Kingdom assassins while on campaign in the past." she recalled, and Zuko nodded, having heard the same thing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>All he could remember of those stories was how utterly powerless the assassins were in comparison to his uncle; he spoke sadly, but calmly of those events, but clearly didn't seem afraid of the people who had gone after his life.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I guess you're right." he conceded, "There's people who might want us dead."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Perhaps your dao training will save your life some day." she mused as he picked up her chest-piece, before she slid it over her head and shoulders.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can use them." he assured her, before turning around; he didn't really want to show off his skills, afraid she might make fun of them, and even then, just revealing too much about his abilities might invoke unnecessary suspicions from his sister- he did improper things when he wielded those blades, and he used them for far more than fighting, and actually, avoided doing just that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He picked up his own robes, and wrapped them around his torso before he picked up his own waistband; he took the last bit of his outfit, his own chest-piece, and pulled it over his torso, tying the bands on either side to make sure that it was firmly in place. Zuko turned back around, watching his sister as she redid her hair, and he couldn't help but wonder why she was considering she would be fighting off assassins, at least any time in the near future.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What are you going to do that's going to make assassins a problem?" he asked her, and she smirked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I have a few ideas." she admitted as she moved to fasten her sleeves in place with her arm bands, "Brother, are you really that uncreative?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I have idea no what you're going to do, Azula." he admitted the honest truth, "But obviously, it's going to be dangerous."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Most of the career options we have, Zuko, are dangerous by definition." she suggested, "I want to choose the path with the least danger to the greatest reward."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So... some kind of bureaucrat." he guessed, knowing there was work to be done in the government that involved no violence and wasn't public enough to gather attention from the kind of people who would want one dead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, no." she shook her head, amused by his guess, "Is that your career plan, Zuko?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I want to better my nation." he simply told her, "However I can best do that, I will."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And I want to earn the respect of my nation, Brother." she told her intentions as plainly as she could have; Zuko didn't think there was a lie there, but there was certainly a gap in her explanation as to what exactly that would involve- if the war wasn't practically over, he would assume she meant to invade some place and annex it into their great nation.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, something flashy." he guessed, before snickering, imagining her going on some grand tour of the colonies or something or the sort- the kind of thing that really didn't seem to suit her, even if it might help her achieve that aim, "Did you want to go a royal tour?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Pfft... of course not." she refused his idea, clearly understanding it was a joke, "I'm going to do something far more eye-catching than that... I just need the means to achieve it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you want it, Uncle will probably give it to you." he suggested, and she raised a brow, before pointing his way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And has Uncle gotten you a spot on the war council yet?" she asked him in return; the Prince winced, remembering that he still hadn't been able to get a solid answer on that- his uncle had warned him that he might accidentally annoy, if not earn the ire of his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, by doing so.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He thinks Grandfather's going to find me annoying or something." he admitted, before shaking his head, "I think he's just afraid the old man mightn't like my good ideas."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, you think you're going to be giving some good strategic advice. A fifteen year old." she prodded him, and Zuko didn't take the bait, grabbing his shoulder pads and tying each of them on; as annoying as her comment was, he knew it was hypocritical and stupid of her to say, given she was younger and going to war council meetings.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And you're thirteen. Does Grandfather get annoyed by your high-pitched whiny voice, or does he value your advice too?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Grandfather doesn't even care... he's just a dying old man" she retorted, "It's the Generals and Admirals who are interested in what I have to say."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Totally." he sarcastically quipped, "And I wonder who they'll blame if their campaigns go astray." he suggested, and she tensed up; Zuko wanted to smile, realising he had actually offended her, or at the very least, made her consider the 'advantage' she had compared to him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped closer, "They don't get to blame me... only Father does." she warned him, "And I wouldn't ever say something he would think to be stupid and shortsighted."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And I would?" he asked her, the Princess raising her chin up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Why do you think you're not at the war meetings, Zuzu? It isn't my fault, as much as I like to brag about my knowledge of strategy." she asked him rhetorically, obviously knowing the answer; Ozai didn't want him there because he had different opinions to him, and was willing to admit them in such a context, because of what effect the war council had on the lives of their nation's soldiers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zuko was not the same as his uncle, but they both had the same inclination of wanting to avoid needless wasting of lives, and drawing out conflicts that could be solved more easily, while his father seemed to relish in the idea of destroying their enemies through and through, with no regard for the lives of their countrymen. Zuko didn't need to go to a war meeting to know that, he could figure it out well enough after his constant expositions, which the Prince tended to rip apart in his head without uttering a word about them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know." he admitted, "But I'm not going to give up what I believe in." he declared, knowing that even if he wouldn't say that to his father's face, that was how he felt- his beliefs and values trumped anything his father wanted from him in a war meeting.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He could train for years to become a bender equal to his sister, and wouldn't dare to complain, but he would not stand idly by and let the war cause needless suffering for the men they, the leadership of the Fire Nation, promised a great and honorable victory.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And that's why..." his sister began, before turning her gaze away, "That's why I can sit there." she admitted, before pacing away, heading right for the door, not even looking back once as she turned around the corner.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Azula did have principles, and whether they were the same as Zuko's wasn't his concern; what he did feel concerned about, at least a little bit, was that she ignored those principles and values for the sake of pleasing their father. She was a great bender, and a great liar, and he knew she was skilled in strategy; that was all that made her good in the eyes of their father, but if he heard her thoughts, the thoughts she probably wouldn't even tell to their uncle, then he'd probably see her as being as 'weak' as he thought Zuko was. It wasn't fair, but the Prince accepted what he had; he had his honour and dignity intact, and she lied to herself, claiming that she had hers, and all the power that he didn't.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Though he wanted her place, and the benefits that came with it, he didn't want her to continue on as she had, for the sake of the cousin they both loved, and the uncle they looked up to; neither of them would want her to lie to herself, and act as if she agreed to everything their father said, as if she was merely an extension of his own ego and power. That was no way to act, either as a Princess or as a person; Zuko did not wish her well, but he did wish she would at least be true to herself, and what she believed in. At least then, when the day came, he could face her in battle and know that he was fighting his sister and not merely some puppet of his father, with no will and mind of her own.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Ty Lee blinked a few times as she realised that the burns she had on her arms and torso were still aching; she had thought that sleeping would help that, but it seemed that her mistakes weren't going to escape her that quickly. It took a few moments for her to realise that she wasn't in Haru and Natsu's house, sleeping on the rather uncomfortable couch, but on the flat surface of a saddle- a sky-bison's saddle to be specific. She had a blanket covering her and Haru, who was lying beside her; across from them lay Sokka and Natsu, who were still asleep, while Aang and Katara seemed missing; she realised that they had landed sometime after she fell asleep, as they were now surrounded by woods, though they didn't look too different to the woodland around the farm, so she guessed they were somewhere nearby, just far enough away that the Fire Nation wouldn't reach them immediately.</p><p>When she pulled herself up to a seated position, wondering where the other two were, she heard a low-pitched whistle to her right, Ty Lee turning her head to see that Katara was standing nearby, beside a pot where she and Aang looked to be cooking breakfast. She waved to her, gesturing for the Fire Nation girl to come sit with her and Aang. She scratched her scalp, realising her hair was rather messy, having fallen out of its braid after all the fighting, running and panicked packing they had done before fleeing the farm on Appa's back. She pulled her hair out of her face, before she grasped the edge of the saddle, deciding to pull herself over; she slid down the furry side of the sky-bison, before landing on her own two feet. Despite just having woken up, her balance was good, as she had trained herself to be prepared to do acrobatics at a whim; it happened a lot when she might take a nap on break at the circus, so she had a fair bit of experience doing stunts when she was dazed.</p><p>"Do you want some of this jook?" Aang asked her, and the Fire Nation girl nodded, stepping closer to the campfire they were cooking the pot over, before she sat down beside them.</p><p>She was still shocked that she was with the Avatar of all people, and more than that, that they seemed to know who she was; it confused her more than anything, given that she wasn't famous or anything of the sort. Sure, people who had gone to see her in the circus might recognise her afterwards, or maybe mention her acrobatic skills, but she seriously doubted many people actually knew who she was by name. It had become apparent, however, when Sokka asked her about the papers when they were grabbing things from the house, that they had learned about Iroh's assassination attempt, and the message Mai had sent her concerning her and Zuko's narrow escape from assassins themselves. There was only one person who could have reasonably given them that information, and that was Azula. She knew from the letter itself that Mai had sent something to the Princess to try and get her on side.</p><p>She hadn't asked about Azula yet, having been too panicked and focused on escaping the village to consider it, even though she had voiced her confusion on how they knew her identity. They merely named the Princess, and that was it, though they stopped talking about it quickly enough, something she was sure had to do with the fact Haru and Natsu might become uneasy, if not fearing of her if they knew of her relationship with the Princess of the Fire Nation. She didn't want them to mistrust her, but she knew that might be the result if they understood she wasn't just any Fire Nation girl, but a noblewoman who was a personal friend of the Royal Family.</p><p> "So... uh, are your burns feeling any better?" Katara asked her, and Ty Lee shrugged her shoulders; though they hurt, the burns weren't as bad as the ones she had received when she was trying to run through the circus to escape her pursuers.</p><p>"I'll need to use some burn ointment." she decided, before glancing back toward Appa, "I think Natsu got it... I can't remember." she admitted, and the young Air Nomad nodded reassuringly.</p><p>"She did." he smiled at her, "Did you want us to help you put some on?" he asked her, and the Fire Nation girl scratched at her lightly burned arm; they were strangers, but she knew that they really did want to help her- she couldn't be suspicious of them after what Haru had done by trusting her, a complete stranger.</p><p>"Uh, yeah." she nodded, before sniffing at the pot of jook they were cooking, "Is this going to take a while?" she asked, and the Water Tribe girl nodded.</p><p>"Yes, it will." she confirmed, "I've only made this a few times, but I'm sure I'll get it right." she added, before her expression became more serious, "But... I've been meaning to ask... what actually happened?"</p><p>"What do you mean?" she asked in return, unsure specifically what she was referring to; it could be the circus, or about the message she received from Mai, or even merely what had happened while they ran off and she distracted the Fire Nation soldiers who wanted her in chains.</p><p>"The circus. Those men. All of this is a little beyond me." Katara admitted, "But I know this has something to do with Azula." she explained her thoughts, and the Fire Nation girl turned her eyes away.</p><p>"I... I was attacked. We were all attacked." she admitted, "The circus didn't really annoy that many people, but I thought maybe it was just some bandits. They were after me, that's all I know, and obviously, they think I'm some kind of traitor. All I had was some letters from my friend Mai, and they were important to making sure the real traitor could be caught out when the time came."</p><p>"Azula's dad." Aang concluded, and she nodded, realising that they had probably learned about the plot some time ago, though when, she was unsure.</p><p>"Yeah, him." she confirmed, "I ran away with the papers I had been sent, because they were the evidence that Mai and Zuko needed... though I have no idea where they are now. Her letter just told me they were in hiding, and would go somewhere safe to wait until the Fire Lord was found."</p><p>"Well, he has been found." Aang clarified, and she narrowed her eyes, recalling that somebody had mentioned the Fire Lord and some assassination attempt in the market, though she just assumed she was being told about the one that Mai had first told her about, "He's out somewhere near Omashu now. Sokka met him not that long ago."</p><p>"And he's met Azula?" she asked, the pair nodding, "How?"</p><p>"She captured Aang." Katara explained, "But he was able to escape, and then, Sokka was caught by the Fire Nation Army when we camped near Omashu. Azula freed him so she could earn our trust... I think, and then she, the Fire Lord and Sokka fought off the assassins." she explained, before narrowing her eyes, "Sokka said something about a message, and that Azula was looking for you, Ty Lee. We didn't know who you were until Haru said your name."</p><p>"So Azula's not trying to hunt you down anymore?" she asked Aang, who nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, she wants to be my firebending master." he clarified, and the acrobat's eyes widened.</p><p>"Your-" she gasped, before raising a hand to her face, "Oh... what is the world coming to." she mumbled under her breath, finding the idea that her friend, the confident, ruthless Princess who always declared her loyalty to the Fire Nation above all else, would decide to willingly become the Avatar's firebending master to be completely absurd.</p><p>"Yeah, I was concerned too when I heard about it." Katara admitted, before narrowing her eyes, "Though probably for different reasons."</p><p>"I never...." she mumbled, before turning her gaze toward the Avatar, "She really said she'd do that?"</p><p>"Well, she said the Fire Lord told her to do it." he clarified, making her furrow a brow; though she was unsure whether her friend really would want to help the Avatar of all people, she knew she wouldn't refuse her uncle's command, especially given what was going on with Ozai.</p><p>"I guess you don't have to worry about the Fire Nation that much if she's going to help you." she observed, before glancing back toward the saddle, "I... I don't want them to mistrust me now. I just wanted to repay them for the help they gave to me."</p><p>"They won't hate you because you're friends with Azula." Aang argued, "I doubt most people even know who she is, at least here in the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>"People don't like the Fire Nation very much." she stressed, before slumping her head down, wondering what good her help would do for Haru and his mother; Haru's father was still in prison somewhere, and the Fire Nation was lording over their village, treating the villagers like bandits probably would, by taking all their money and squashing any dissent, or even the potential of it, "And I guess they have a good reason."</p><p>"I wonder where they took all the earthbenders." Aang mumbled, before grimacing, "Maybe it's better just to not know."</p><p>"I don't think they're dead or anything like that." Ty Lee admitted, knowing that the Fire Nation military, though heavy-handed in their approach, preferred to restrain their enemies; she had learned about the camps and factories earthbenders were sent to in school, supposedly to stop revolts and give them better livelihoods, though she was sure now that probably wasn't the case at all, "But wherever they are... it must be worse than living under the foot of those grimy soldiers."</p><p>"Why... why were you hiding your identity?" Katara asked her as she stirred the pot, "We wouldn't have tried to hurt you. I mean, if we can trust Azula, then we can definitely trust you."</p><p>"Because of those men." she admitted, "I don't even know if they're loyal to Ozai, or have just been fed false information about me. They'd throw me in the hold of a ship and send me to the Boiling Rock, and I know nobody escapes from there."</p><p>"Huh... is that where the Fire Nation sends their worst prisoners?" Aang asked, and she nodded.</p><p>"The criminals they don't kill, and the enemies who are too important to let free. I'm pretty sure some Earth Kingdom generals are locked up in there." she admitted, recalling that boast from her history teacher a few years prior, where he proclaimed how strong their nation's prisons were, and how the Earth Kingdom's leaders would never escape.</p><p>"Sounds like a place people need freeing from." Aang mused, before shaking his head, "But that's really dangerous."</p><p>"But it couldn't be that dangerous to get to wherever Haru's dad is, right?" Katara asked the acrobat, who blinked a few times, wondering if Appa would be able to sneak over to wherever the earthbenders were being held; she guessed of all creatures, a sky-bison would be the best to reach some isolated, hidden prison where the earthbenders were probably toiling away.</p><p>"I don't know." she admitted, "Appa seems like he could fly to wherever they're being held... but I really don't know enough to say much more about it."</p><p>"You want to go find him?" she heard Haru's voice behind them, and the three of them turned around to see him sitting on the saddle; Katara nodded, and a moment later, Aang did the same.</p><p>"Y-yeah." the young Avatar admitted, "I mean, we can't just let the Fire Nation do that. If we can do something, we should."</p><p>"And we can." Katara assured him as he climbed down off of the saddle.</p><p>"What do you think, Ty Lee?" he asked her, and she scrunched her lips up.</p><p>"I think it's dangerous." she admitted her honest opinion, "I don't even know where this prison is, or what kind of security they have. I know how to fight, but really... I just don't know what you would be leading us into." she turned to face the Water Tribe girl and Air Nomad boy, both of whom looked at each other, considering what she had just said.</p><p>"I guess we need to find out some more about it." she decided, turning to glance at Haru, "Do you know where they went once they were taken away?"</p><p>"Towards the coast. I think they went to the port town, Tetsuwan." he explained what he knew, "I guess they took them some place they can't earthbend... but that doesn't make any sense, because rocks are everywhere."</p><p>"Well, not everywhere." Aang argued, "There's not much rock in a swamp... or just in the middle of the sea." he argued, and Haru blinked a few times.</p><p>"In the middle of the sea? How could anything be out there?"</p><p>"The Fire Nation can build some impressive ships and fortresses." Ty Lee admitted what she knew, "I believe they could make something out there, if that's really where the earthbenders are."</p><p>"Well, I guess we could go to the port town and look around." Aang decided, "That couldn't hurt anybody, right?"</p><p>"I think we're definitely wanted now... so maybe going to town isn't the best idea." Haru admitted, "Even if we're trying to find my dad and the other earthbenders."</p><p>"Not everyone needs to go." Ty Lee argued, "The rest of us could stay here in the woods, where it's safe, and a few could disguise themselves and go look around to try and find where the base is."</p><p>"I think I can act pretty well." Katara argued, "Plus, I need to get us some more food if we're going to be out here for a while... and with extra people." she admitted, Ty Lee and Haru nodding in agreement.</p><p>"I don't want my mum going hungry, not after all I just put her through." the Earth Kingdom boy admitted, glancing back toward the saddle.</p><p>Katara grimaced upon hearing that, and perhaps, she felt guilty about the whole mine collapse incident; Ty Lee hadn't understood what had occurred there, but it made sense after all that had happened. She had obviously pressured Haru into using his bending, into putting himself in danger, and obviously now that Haru had gotten his mother in danger, the Water Tribe girl must have realised the chain reaction.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Haru." she stressed, "This is my fault."</p><p>"No, you were doing the right thing, Katara." Aang assured her, "That old man who told the Fire Nation... I don't know. That was just sad." he pouted, clearly not happy with the turn of events.</p><p>"He was a coward." Haru argued, sounding rather spiteful in his tone, "If he just had any guts, then maybe we'd be back in my village right now, and nothing would have happened."</p><p>"There's no point blaming anyone now." Ty Lee admitted, "I guess we're all just stuck in this situation now."</p><p>"Where are you going to go now?" Haru asked her, "You can't go back to the village." he told her, as if she didn't know that already.</p><p>"I guess I'll have to stay with you for now. I don't really have anywhere to go, and I don't know how many of those men are looking for me, but I'll find my friend eventually." she assured him, and Aang raised a brow, obviously curious about her relationship with Azula.</p><p>"How long have you known her?"</p><p>"A while." she gave a vague answer; she didn't exactly want to give out everything she knew about the Princess, especially around Haru- that could only make things more awkward and uneasy for him, and after all he'd done to assist her, she didn't want to put that on him.</p><p>She scratched her arm, and Haru looked her way with slight concern, "Do you need your burns done up?" he asked, and Katara rose up to her feet.</p><p>"I said I'd do it." she clarified, before glancing down toward Aang, "Just keep an eye on the pot while I deal with her burns, alright?" she asked, and he nodded, taking the wooden spoon into hand, and kept on stirring the pot of jook.</p><p>"Thanks." she acknowledged the Water tribe girl, who shrugged her shoulders.</p><p>"You need our help. That's what we do, help people." she assured her, and Ty Lee made a small smile, feeling like at the very least, the Avatar and his friends were kind, good-hearted people; they might not have the best interests of the Fire Nation at heart, but they were at least the kind of people she could trust to do the right thing.</p><p>Katara climbed back onto the saddle to go retrieve the burn ointment, and Ty Lee laid herself back slightly, looking up at the tree branches that hung above them, and beyond those, the fluffy white clouds that covered the light blue morning sky; she took a deep breath, knowing that she ought to remain calm. Ty Lee wasn't usually the kind of person to get herself needlessly stressed, but ever since she had been attacked at the circus, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and was always cautious when she travelled around Haru's village, knowing that there were men looking for her. Even there, in the forest, she couldn't help but glance around at the trees that surrounded them; thoughts of the soldiers tailing after the massive and rather noticeable sky-bison were quick to her mind, and she turned to Haru, wanting to hush those thoughts with some meaningless conversation that she could have with the boy.</p><p>"What's your favourite food, Haru?" she asked him, having breakfast on her mind with the pot of jook cooking away nearby.</p><p>"Oh..." he mumbled, seeming a little surprised by the question, "I don't really know. Maybe dumplings. I'm unsure." he admitted, "We don't really have much variety of food in the village. There's fruits, vegetables, bread, rice... you know, the usual kind of food, but Mum never really made really fancy food. Most people don't know how to."</p><p>"Well, I don't either." she admitted, before chuckling at the thought of when she had tried to help Natsu make dinner a few days prior, "I apologise for the burnt rice."</p><p>"You tried." he assured her, "Maybe you'll figure it out with a little practice." he suggested, and she snickered.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't know when I'm going to get it. I prefer to avoid cooking, honestly."</p><p>"I wonder why." he mumbled, the acrobat snickering at his jab before glancing back toward Katara, who was coming back their way with the jar of burn ointment.</p><p>"I've got it." she spoke up, twisting the jar open before she sat down beside the Fire Nation girl, "I don't know if this will sting or not... I'm not really that experienced with dealing with burns." she admitted, and Ty Lee gave her a reassuring smile.</p><p>"I got burnt at the circus, so I know what it feels like. It's fine." she assured her, moving to unwrap the bandages around her arms, before offering them to the Water Tribe girl, "Just go ahead."</p><p>She dabbled her fingers into the jar, before she applied the paste to her forearms, softly touching it on before she began to rub it in; it hurt a little as she pressed on her burnt skin, but it was no worse than what she had experienced before.</p><p>"You're... handling this well." she observed, "I wouldn't have thought you'd be so tough."</p><p>"Oh, did you?" she smugly asked her, "I'm not a wuss." she assured her, "I've had to deal with burns, broken bones... the whole lot. It happens more often than not when you're an acrobat and spent your childhood sparring with firebenders."</p><p>Both Aang and Katara looked at her with interest, though Haru seemed more concerned about her burns, "Are you sure?" he asked her, "I mean, you got hit up pretty bad."</p><p>"Yeah, it hurts." she acknowledged, "But that's not what I'm thinking about."</p><p>"More about making sure those guys don't get you, right?" Katara guessed, and she nodded to confirm that assumption, "Well, as long as we have Appa, that isn't happening."</p><p>"I figured that. This sky-bison must be really fast." she admitted, glancing toward Appa, who was currently asleep, "When he's not resting."</p><p>"Heh." Aang snickered, "Yeah, I remember when I first met Sokka and Katara, and I wanted to show how Appa could fly, but instead, he just flopped into the water and swam to their village." he explained, making the acrobat chuckle, imagining that would have been a rather lack-lustre introduction to the flying bison.</p><p>As Katara continued to apply the burn ointment to her arms, Ty Lee glanced toward the girl, wondering why she wanted to help her as much as she did; they didn't know each other, and before that morning, they really hadn't talked that much. She had been pretending to be Aki, and now that she was herself again, she was surprised that a Water Tribe girl could treat her with decency and kindness.</p><p>Ty Lee turned her head around, noting the sound of a yawn, and she could see two tanned arms rising up from the saddle of the sky-bison, "Urgh... I had a terrible nightmare." she heard Sokka grumble, before he rose up from the saddle, "Oh wait... no, that wasn't a nightmare." he realised, making Aang and Katara laugh; he had just thought their experience the night prior was a nightmare, and given how fast things had gone, and how much chaos occurred, she couldn't blame him for thinking it was one after all that.</p><p>"Good morning, Sokka." Aang cheerfully addressed his friend, "Do you want some jook?"</p><p>"Uh, isn't that just rice slop?" he asked, and everyone nodded to confirm his assumption, "Oh... I miss meat already."</p><p>"We can go get some from the market today." Katara explained, and the Water Tribe boy clapped his hands together, seeming to approve of her idea.</p><p>"Good. I want some jerky." he declared, before cringing slightly, turning around, "Sorry." he whispered, before he pulled himself out of his sleeping roll; he climbed down from the saddle, and then, upon thinking about what she had told him, decided to second guess what his sister had just told him, "Wait... you want to go back to a market... like nearby?"</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, "I know what you're thinking. The Fire Nation is going to be looking for us... and they probably are. But we can disguise ourselves. It won't be that hard, and we can find out where all those earthbenders got taken. I bet the Fire Nation has people going in and out of that port pretty often, right?" she asked Haru, who nodded to confirm that.</p><p>"Well, I will come with you." he decided, "I don't want you going there alone, Katara."</p><p>"I'm not a little kid, Sokka." she assured him, "I can make sure I don't get caught."</p><p>"I'm still going." he stressed, obviously not taking no for an answer, "Where is this port you're talking about, anyway?" he asked, and Haru rose up to his feet.</p><p>"Well, we flew into the hills... so that way." he pointed to the west, "I don't know how far we've gone... so you might need to fly there on Appa if you don't want to waste your day walking there."</p><p>"You can take him." Aang assured the Water Tribe siblings, "I mean, it can't be that long a flight... and I don't want you guys getting cornered by some soldiers." he admitted, before smiling, "And then, you can come right back here, and we can go to wherever those earthbenders are."</p><p>"It's going to be dangerous." Haru warned them, "These Fire Nation soldiers don't joke around. Wherever they're keeping the earthbenders, it must have really tight security."</p><p>"I can climb and sneak around pretty much anything." Ty Lee assured him, "Seriously, I was doing it for a living... at least the climbing part. And sneaking isn't hard when you're light on your feet."</p><p>"Maybe Aang should incorporate that into his fighting." Sokka suggested, "Though, you'd have to get rid of those robes. They're way too noticeable."</p><p>"What, do you want me to wear black?" the young Air Nomad scoffed at his suggestion, and the boy nonchalantly nodded in return.</p><p>"Yeah. That'd do it."</p><p>"Well, we're not planning to do much sneaking." Katara intervened in what could have become an argument, "Just this one time... so we can help out those earthbenders."</p><p>"How about you, Haru? Can you sneak?" Aang asked the Earth Kingdom boy, who scratched the back of his head, seeming unsure how to answer that.</p><p>"I guess I can." he admitted, "Maybe not when I'm trying to earthbend, though." he conceded, and Ty Lee tapped him on the shoulder with her rebandaged left arm.</p><p>"As long as you can do it before we fight, we'll be good." she assured him, and Sokka stepped past them to sit down beside Aang.</p><p>"So, you're going to come fight with us?"</p><p>"Yeah, I am." she confirmed, "Haru needs my help."</p><p>"What about the people who are looking for you? This could go... well, not the best way. If they want a reason to call you a traitor for real, you're about to give it to them." he warned her, and the acrobat narrowed her eyes at him; if she could trust Azula with anything, it would be to help her out now.</p><p>"I have something none of those men have; I have her."</p><hr/><p>The morning sun shone down over the water before Azula, and she squinted for a moment, adjusting to the glare as she glanced out toward her destination; her ship was already in port, and she was ready to go down and speak with the local garrison commander, whose letter told her exactly what she wanted to know: the location of the circus Ty Lee was part of. She wouldn't go as far to say she was excited, but she was certainly relieved to know where she had to go, and now she was at the port closest to where the circus was said to be, called Tetsuwan. She was looking forward to finding her friend and making sure the knowledge she held did not fall into the wrong hands, or worse, was lost; of course, that was what worried her- the threat against her friend's life was more than real, considering that her father had tried to have his own son killed, so it was no large step to do the same with a girl he barely knew on the suspicion she knew about his plot.</p><p>When she stepped down the plank from her Royal Barge onto the pier, she was greeted by surprised and interested glances from the sailors and dockworkers; people obviously realised who she was by looking at her ship and attire, with her armour and headpiece indicative of her rank and title, and they stepped out of her way as she strode down the pier toward the port town proper. She didn't just pop in to have a resupply, which she had already done the day prior, but had come because she had received a letter informing her that the circus Ty Lee worked at, Shuzumu's Travelling Circus, had been playing at a nearby village, and the port town itself before that about a week prior. That would have been good news if it weren't for the addendum that the circus had been attacked by arsonists, and had left in a hurry afterwards, which she immediately found suspicious.</p><p>She knew that the attack might have had something to do with Ty Lee, which concerned her, given that suggested that her father and his co-conspirators knew about her, and either deduced that Mai and Zuko had contacted her, or had intercepted one of the letters that had been sent her way. Arsonists targeting a circus just seemed stupid in her eyes, given that the justification would have to be rather petty, like refusing entry, or some kind of burglary, but she doubted that a circus would have that much valuable goods. What was valuable was the information Ty Lee had, and the leverage it could be against her father, and Azula was set on finding her before anyone else did.</p><p>She made her way down the pier, and eyed ahead toward the market, trying to spot out any Fire Nation soldiers who might be able to give her the directions for the garrison headquarters, which she was sure would be close by. She could see a few soldiers standing on patrol by the edge of the market, so she made her way toward them, and they quickly noticed her, turning around and taking formation.</p><p>Their leader saluted her, and addressed her as would be expected, "Princess Azula, it is an honour to have you here at our port." he acknowledged her, and not feeling in the mood for tedious formalities, she waved her hand, stressing the fact she had no care for their formalities, but merely what they could tell her.</p><p>"I am here to speak to your commander, Major Zhengyi." she explained her reason for being before them, "Where is he?"</p><p>"He is at the barracks, your highness." he stressed, before pointing to two of his subordinates, "Cheng, Zhuang, take the Princess to the Major." he ordered them, and they nodded, before both of them turned around to face the street that led away from the pier.</p><p>"Go." Azula commanded them, and they did, making their way down the street, and Azula, along with her guards, followed after them; she eyed around at the pedestrians for a moment, noting most of them were Earth Kingdom, and clearly afraid of her.</p><p>She didn't really care for their fears, as she had no intention of harming anyone, unless they tried to harm Ty Lee, in which case, they'd face the full brunt of her fury. It might not have been her fault for whatever her friend was facing, but she would do everything she could to ascertain her location and ensure her safety. It was her duty as her friend, and she was sure that if Ty Lee was in the same position as her, she would do the same; she would not be deserving of her respect if she didn't put every effort into helping her when she was in danger, something which she couldn't be completely sure of, but assumed to be the case, given the questionable case of arson that was mentioned by Major Zhengyi.</p><p>The soldiers led her down the street toward a large walled building, which resembled many public structures she had seen in the Fire Nation Capital, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a few guards standing by the gates of the building. As they approached the gates, the guards standing by them opened them up, immediately recognising Azula, perhaps by the distinct armour the Imperial Firebenders behind her were wearing, rather than the Princess herself. As much as part of her would want to be recognised on the spot, she knew that she wasn't that distinctive looking, though she'd never say she was bad-looking; in fact, she would always claim that she was the prettiest girl she knew, though Ty Lee liked to dispute that at times in jest.</p><p>"Uh, your highness, the Major's just inside." Zheng, one of the soldiers, clarified, and he looked at her with slight confusion; the Princess straightened her lips as she realised she had been smiling, as she had been thinking about when Ty Lee and her would argue about who was prettier.</p><p>"Thank you." she abruptly responded, not wanting to sound too polite or thankful, but not annoyed or surprised either, before she strode on toward the entrance of the barracks, which consisted of a large multi-sectioned building with a tall spotting post annexed to it, presumably from where the garrison would look out for signals from approaching ships.</p><p>When she reached the front door, she turned around, glancing at her guards, who she realised didn't really need to follow her, "Wait here. I will call on you all if I need... assistance." she explained, stressing the last word with a cold, serious emphasis.</p><p>The guards seemed to catch her drift, as they all nodded, cautiously glancing at the men around them; though she wasn't going to immediately assume the conspiracy was afoot in the very port she had arrived in, she had to take precautions, and that was why she had taken almost all her guards with her, partly as a show of force, and partly to ensure her safety in case of the worst possible scenario.</p><p>She stepped closer toward the door before she pushed it open, revealing the foyer of the building; there wasn't much there except some weapons on a rack, a shelf with mail holes in it, presumably for each of the garrison members, and a desk where a soldier was sitting, reading through a scroll; his eyes widened as he realised she was looking at him, and he rose up to feet, saluting her sloppily.</p><p>"Uh, your highness... I didn't think you'd be here so quickly." he addressed her, and she narrowed her eyes at him; his armour and general appearance didn't say that he was Major Zhengyi, so she decided to ask where he was.</p><p>"Where's the Major?" she asked, and the soldier stepped out from behind his desk, striding down the hallway that led off from the foyer.</p><p>"Please, follow me, your highness." he told her, and she did; following him down the narrow hallway, she passed by an entrance to the barrack's mess hall, as well as what looked like an infirmary, before reaching a closed door; the soldier knocked on it, and she heard some shuffling about inside the room, before a voice called out.</p><p>"Who is it?" the voice asked, and Azula responded at once.</p><p>"Princess Azula." she clarified, and the door was opened a few seconds later, a middle-aged man with a moustache and receding hairline opening the door for her.</p><p>"Y-your highness." he gasped, obviously surprised to see her, "I didn't expect you to come so quickly. I only sent my letter last night."</p><p>"We were in the area... and I need to reach that circus." she explained, the Major nodding before he gestured for her to come inside his office.</p><p>"Please, come in. Do you want some tea?" he asked her, and she nodded, deciding that would give her an excuse to stay any longer than would be expected, so she could interrogate the Major a little, and if necessary, his subordinates, to find out as much as she could about the circus, and the supposed arson committed upon it; the Major raised his hand toward the soldier who had led her to him, seeming rather stern with him, in comparison to his rather affable, gentle composure toward her.</p><p>"Lieutenant, go get a pot and put in the best leaves. I do not want the Princess drinking that... I don't even know what you all usually drink, but not that."</p><p>"Y-yes, Major." he nodded, seeming a little uneased by his superior's frustration, before he paced off to go make them some tea.</p><p>The Major sat down by a table where she assumed they would be drinking tea, and there was already a few papers on the table, which she had a hunch were related to her reason for being there; she sat down across from him, crossing her legs and straightening her posture to look him dead in the eyes.</p><p>"Major Zhengyi, I would like some elaboration on this." she began, pulling out the letter he had sent her via messenger hawk and placing it down on the table.</p><p>"Ah, yes." he nodded, raising a finger to his chin, "I heard about the circus a few days ago because of the arsonist manhunt that was going on in Ganggu Village." he explained, "I believe it had been there for a few days, and was about to leave the town the next day, but arsonists attacked it. Much of their equipment was burnt down, and they moved whatever they could to the north. I believe they were heading for Manxi."</p><p>She nodded, knowing that it was a colonial city some distance to the north of her present location, along the coast; if she had to travel there to intercept Ty Lee, that wouldn't be much of an issue, given that Aang and his friends were likely still travelling in that direction. She hadn't asked about Avatar sightings, but knew it wouldn't hurt to do so, given the threat Aang might pose by intervening in matters that would only further agitate the military into pursuing him. Zhao was bad enough to worry about, and she assumed that soon enough, she would have other commanders, generals and other would-be Avatar hunters on his tail.</p><p>"Well, what can you tell me about this arson?" she inquired further, knowing that any details about that could give indication to the cause of the arson he had just mentioned.</p><p>"I don't know much." he conceded, "The report given to me was by the local commander, and he told me some secret police were investigating it."</p><p>"Secret police?" she raised a brow, "You mean to say the Intelligence Service sent some men to investigate arson on a circus in... well, quite frankly, the middle of nowhere?"</p><p>"Um..." the Major mumbled, before raising a finger to his chin, "Yes. I am unsure why they were there to begin with. Perhaps it was a matter of national security they are not allowed to divulge." he conceded, before narrowing his eyes, "You wouldn't happen to know about their purpose, your highness?"</p><p>"No, I don't." she stressed, a little frustrated by his question; even if she was of the correct rank to be privy to such matters, she wasn't in the capital, going to meetings with her father anymore.</p><p>She was there to find out as much as she could about the circus and the arson committed against it, and narrow down Ty Lee's location in the process, as well find out who was after her; she was assuming that the arson was caused by some people sent by her father, and she couldn't help but notice that the intelligence service was the perfect cover for a manhunt for Ty Lee.</p><p>"Do you know who committed the arson?" she decided to add, knowing that something a little specific would help.</p><p>"The report told me it was a young woman, and from what he could tell, the secret police suspect her as a traitor, though... what that has to do with burning down a circus, is beyond me." he conceded, Azula placing her hands together, certain his description fit Ty Lee perfectly, especially from her father's point of view.</p><p>"Well, I think I may be of assistance with these matters." she decided to offer herself up, knowing that he wouldn't refuse.</p><p>"You mean with the investigation?" he asked, and she nodded, "I cannot refuse your help, Princess Azula. It is a great honour for any citizen to find you at hand." he acknowledged the gravity of her presence and offer, bowing down as he sat, "Is there anything else you need of me?"</p><p>"Nothing in particular." she conceded, "I will travel to wherever the circus was, and investigate the situation there. I might find out whatever treachery has been committed, and ensure that the security of my nation is maintained. It is my duty." she explained, none of those words an actual lie, given that she was loyal to her nation over her father; once she might have said her duty as daughter lay first, but her father forfeit the respect she held for him when he tried to have her uncle killed without having the dignity to face him in an Agni Kai.</p><p>Just thinking about that agitated her, knowing that her father was throwing away everything for greed; he could have been the rightful Fire Lord with time, or perhaps, just a little courage, but he chose to be a usurper instead. Her father was far away in the capital, and she internally chided herself for getting so frustrated about his actions, when she couldn't influence them, at least without being there to actually talk to him. The fact that she didn't hate him, but merely pitied him, made her feel even more ashamed; he was her father, he was meant to be the great man she wanted him to be, the person who could protect and lead their nation into a great and bright future, but she now knew that was all a farce to make her consider him half the man Iroh was.</p><p>"Your highness, are you alright?" Zhengyi interrupted her chain of thought, and she momentarily grimaced, realising she had just sat there, mulling over her thoughts, without any consideration that he was watching her.</p><p>"I am perfectly fine." she retorted as calmly as she could, "I simply am waiting for that tea you offered."</p><p>"Oh, yes." he recalled, glancing up behind her, "I apologise if Lieutenant Yiwai is tardy. I don't actually have any servants here to make us tea... because this is just an outpost for the navy. We don't have much resources to spare."</p><p>"No, I understand your issue. The navy is spread wide and far across the world. They cannot have servants at every base, or shipyards in every colony, as much as they might want that." she acknowledged the fact of the matter; resources were dispersed, and that was what truly made their war effort against the Earth Kingdom such a challenge in the first place- the country was massive, and there was only so many men that could be commanded and trained to fight without adversely effecting the powerful economy of the Fire Nation.</p><p>"So... how did you want to assist in the investigation?" he asked her, obviously curious about what she intended to do.</p><p>"I will go to this village... Ganggu?" she asked, unsure if she had remembered the name correctly, and he nodded, "I will go there and talk to the Intelligence Service agents who are there. As Princess, I am best suited to assist them with matters of national security, and I will get to the bottom of what's going on, for the good of the Fire Nation."</p><p>"May- uh- may I ask why you were looking for this circus?"</p><p>"Somebody I know might be in danger." she told him all she was willing to, given what Ty Lee knew, and what she might be facing; if her assumptions were correct, and the Intelligence Service had been sent after her on claims of treason and conspiracy, then they might hurt her, imprison her, and even destroy the evidence she had to incriminate her father.</p><p>"Oh... so this isn't a matter of protecting the Fire Nation." he concluded, and she tensed up, not wanting to get agitated over his stupid comments; she was protecting the Fire Nation by finding Ty Lee, and making sure her father could be accused with as much evidence as she could gather- when the time came, he would be thrown in prison for his crimes, and perhaps he'd consider his chosen path as fruitless as she did.</p><p>"I will always act in the best interests of my nation." she retorted, before glancing away, knowing that depending on the perspective, helping her uncle achieve his goals might not be in the best interest of the Fire Nation.</p><p>Even if his plans to end the war wouldn't necessarily lead to further conflict with the other nations, something she certainly wanted to avoid to ensure they achieved the prosperity, peace and security she knew was necessary for a better future, she knew that the conflict within their nation would not stop because of it. Ending one war to start another, and that was even if they stopped Ozai; if they didn't, at least it would be her father's fault for trying to kill the Fire Lord, and not her uncle's for dividing his nation over making peace with their long-time enemies.</p><p>"Of course, your highness. I wouldn't dare think any less of you." he assured her, before he glanced back, his brightened expression suggesting that the tea was arriving; she turned around to see the soldier who had led to the room standing with a tray, on which was two ceramic cups and pot of hot tea.</p><p>"Your highness." he bowed down to place the tea on the table in front of them.</p><p>"Thank you, Lieutenant. You may return to your duties." Zhengyi dismissed him, and he saluted him quickly, before pacing away, obviously not wanting to spend any more time in his superior's presence; something told her that Zhengyi's men didn't like him that much.</p><p>She sniffed the steam coming out of the pot, and appreciated it for a moment, before she forced her lips to straighten, not wanting to seem pleased by it; she was meant to be calm, collected and polite, not some dunce who just sat and enjoyed sniffing tea. The Major, obviously being the lower-ranked individual at the table, picked up the pot and flipped over the cups, before pouring them both some tea. She picked up her cup, and took a quick sip from the cup, finding a it a little too hot, but still fine tasting.</p><p>"Is it sufficient, your highness?" he asked her, and she made a curt nod, before placing the cup back down on the table.</p><p>Suddenly, she heard a door slam down the hallway, and she leaned her head slightly toward the doorway to see if she could see who had just interrupted her moment of peace and quiet; the Major didn't seem very pleased by it, and leaned to the side as well to check.</p><p>"Who's slamming the door?" he grumbled under his breath, and a moment later, somebody appeared before them, seeming flustered and shocked; it was one of his men, and he wasn't wearing armour, suggesting he was off-duty.</p><p>"M-Major!" he addressed him with frantic tone, before he eyed the Princess, "And... uh, your highness." he bowed slightly toward her, before revealing a scroll, "I just got a message from Ganggu. The guards there had an incident... and you're going to want to read this." he assured his superior, who nodded, indicating that he did want to read the document; once her was handed it, he unfurled it, before his expression shifted to one of confusion.</p><p>"Uh..." he mumbled as he traced his finger down the document, "Well, this might be of interest to you, your highness." he conceded, handing her the document; she accepted it, and placed it down in front of her as she took another sip from her tea cup.</p><p>She eyed the first line, and didn't find it that interesting, merely describing that the local garrison had received information on an earthbender, and gone to apprehend him; it turned out that the earthbender was housing the fugitive the Intelligence Service was looking for, and a fight broke out between them and the fugitive, who they were able to capture and bring back to their base of operations in the village. Azula realised that the fugitive was most likely Ty Lee, though they didn't describe what they looked like; the document went on to explain that before they could take the fugitive inside, they were attacked by the earthbender, and the Avatar. That made her tense up, realising that Aang and his friends were nearby, and more than that, had most likely met Ty Lee already; the document then finished by explaining that the Intelligence Service agents attempted to apprehend the Avatar and the fugitive, but failed, as they were able to escape the village via the Avatar's sky-bison.</p><p>"Well, this is interesting." she conceded the honest truth, hiding her unease behind a confused expression, "The Avatar is nearby. I am sure you know that I am currently pursuing the master of the elements to ensure he doesn't pose a threat to our nation."</p><p>"I do." he nodded, "I assume you and your men will go look for him now."</p><p>"I believe this is what they call taking out two birds with one stone." she noted with a slightly amused voice, trying to disguise her feelings of frustration about the situation; Aang shouldn't have gotten himself involved, though she assumed that it had to the fact that an earthbender was being apprehended, likely to be sent to a labour prison.</p><p>"Um, yes, that is the saying." he agreed, before she pushed the document back toward him, "I would appreciate if you got the Avatar out of my villages. It would not go well with my report to General Ming, if I were to be completely honest."</p><p>"I understand your frustration, Major. This is not something anybody would want their hands on, especially without the proper training or forces to back oneself up. But you should not fret, Major, I will handle this. It is the very reason I have been travelling around the world for the past few months." she assured him, not wanting him to panic and try and send men after Aang; that would just not end well, especially if he had Ty Lee on side, given her chi-blocking skills.</p><p>"I have heard of your abilities. You are the greatest firebender born in a generation."</p><p>"That is not all. I know what fights to pick, Major. This is a fight nobody should want to face." she warned him, "The Avatar, as a hostile, is perhaps the greatest threat to our nation as a whole, so ensuring that he is passive toward us is my paramount goal. If he cannot be contained, then he must be persuaded against conflict."</p><p>"He's an Air Nomad. I don't imagine that could be that hard."</p><p>"If everyone I knew was murdered by a specific group of people who happened to have all the political control at present, I wouldn't find issue fighting them." she warned him of what Aang's mentality would be, "Being against murder does not make somebody a non-threat."</p><p>"Are you willing to kill him, your highness?" he dared to ask her, and she shook her head.</p><p>"Finding the next Avatar would be far more challenging than it would be worth." she argued, trying to seem as indifferent as she could; she wasn't indifferent, because she held the slightest of respect for Aang, even if he was a finicky twelve year old with a propensity for asking too much of her, though she assumed that came about because of her generosity when she first captured him, rather than being reflective of greed on his behalf.</p><p>"That is true." he conceded, "It took us a century to find the Avatar after they disappeared. It would be best to avoid a repeat of that."</p><p>"I will not let that happen again." she assured him, before sipping down the rest of the tea in the cup she was drinking; once it was done, she placed it down on the table between her and Zhengyi, and rose to her feet.</p><p>"Are you leaving for Ganggu?"</p><p>"I have little choice in the matter." she declared, "There are matters of national security at play, and I cannot ignore them, nor can I ignore the Avatar."</p><p>"Isn't the Avatar a greater threat than any traitor?" he asked her, and Azula scoffed, knowing that was certainly not that case.</p><p>"It depends on who the traitor is." she warned him, "Traitors don't have to be aggrieved commoners or traumatised soldiers, Major." she stressed, "They can be arrogant fools with too much power."</p><p>"I wouldn't dare call any of my superiors fools, your highness." he assured her, which told her that he might have suspected those individuals to be potential traitors, given her description.</p><p>"And I wouldn't dare accuse anyone without evidence. I will see who this traitor is, and what crimes have been laid upon them. I seek the truth above all else." she added, making the Major raise a brow.</p><p>"What about justice?" he asked, and she scoffed, before rising to her feet.</p><p>"You cannot have justice without seeing the truth, Major. A false justice is no victory at all."</p><hr/><p>Katara didn't think that Natsu's clothes would fit on her, but the woman was quite thin, so her robes weren't that loose on the slightly shorter Water Tribe girl; she already missed her Water Tribe garb, and was unable to wear her necklace while she was in disguise, having gave it to Aang to take care of while she and Sokka travelled to the port town of Tetsuwan. Appa was big enough that they had to land him some distance away from the actual town, behind a hill, and now, they were pacing through the brush nearby the edge of the town, just able to make sight of the port, which had a long stone pier, with a number of Fire Nation vessels docked at it.</p><p>She hadn't noticed it when they were flying over, but realised that one of the ships was almost certainly Azula's, and that made her tense up, realising that they might run into the Fire Nation Princess; she knew that it wasn't a good idea to do so, given that she was probably trying to act as if the Avatar was not her ally. Katara would dispute that claim, but Aang was always quick to assure her that the Princess was not a bad person, even if she was violent and acted brashly at times.</p><p>Sokka seemed to notice this as well, and he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "Katara... you know who's ship that this, right?"</p><p>"I do." she confirmed, "But we don't have much of a choice. I don't want to get her involved with all this... because I'm guessing she won't approve."</p><p>"No, at least not publicly." he agreed, "So, let's just avoid her, wherever she is, and find out where those earthbenders were sent."</p><p>"Yeah." she nodded, before she continued down the slope of the hill toward the edge of the town; they were quickly covered by the bushes and trees that covered the slope, making sure when they appeared, nobody would suspect them, or at least, that was what she hoped.</p><p>She had to crouch down to go under the low-hanging branches, and eyed ahead to check if anybody was by the edge of the woods; she couldn't see anyone, though she could hear voices further afar inside the town proper. The Water Tribe siblings didn't waste any time, and Sokka led Katara down through the woods to the edge of the town, stepping out of the woods by an old, rickety Earth Kingdom house. They stepped out past it, and made sight of a street, where she immediately spotted a few Fire Nation soldiers on patrol, she glanced away from them, pulling her hair away from her face as she wondered how easy it would be able to tell that they were Water Tribe. They hadn't garnered too much attention in towns so far, but she didn't want to take the chance, and that was why they were disguised. She was sure that after what happened in Haru's village, the Fire Nation would be looking for them all, Aang especially.</p><p>As they made their way onto the street, the Fire Nation soldiers didn't seem to give them any more notice than the other pedestrians, who all were cautious around them, everyone noticeably slowing their paces as they came by. The soldiers turned to shout at some children who were playing around up the street, and she cringed slightly, just hoping that their attention didn't come back toward them. Sokka grabbed her by the hand, forcing her to follow after him, which she did. As they made their way down the street, she noticed that the buildings began to improve in quality and increase in size until she was looking at two-storey structures, both shops and houses, and she could already make out what had to be the market off in the distance.</p><p>"Well, I say we go to the docks, Katara." her brother suggested, "If this is a port, then they've got to be sending them off on boats."</p><p>"What says there's anyone there?" she asked, "I think going to wherever the soldiers work from would be better." she gave her own opinion, "They might have records there."</p><p>"True, true." Sokka conceded, scratching his chin in thought as they continued on down the street, "But think about this... if the place they're sending the earthbenders to is nearby... where are they going to get all their food from?"</p><p>"Oh." she gasped, her eyes brightening as she realised what he was trying to say, "They must send boats there. If we can find one, maybe we could follow it out on Appa." she gave the first idea that came to mind, and he nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, I think so. We should just make sure we're following the right one. We don't want to follow some random boat all the way to the Fire Nation."</p><p>"That sounds like a terrible plan." she shook her head, "We have to know for sure."</p><p>"And we will." he stressed, "Let's just avoid her highness. I have a feeling she won't be happy to see me."</p><p>"What about Ty Lee?" she asked, and her brother shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"Well, she's not with us. Ty Lee's safe, so she has no reason to worry... though, I guess she's probably worried. Just like how we were with Aang."</p><p>"Except, we knew where Aang was." she reminded him, "She doesn't know where her friend is. What if she thinks she's dead?"</p><p>"I don't think she'd jump to that conclusion." he argued, before crossing his arms, "Why are we talking about this... that's not what we're here for."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, I know." she assured him, before glancing toward the market, knowing that they ought to get to the docks to find wherever the supply ship would be, "So turn right here."</p><p>"Yeah, unless you want to go shopping right now." he considered their options, and she shook her head.</p><p>They had plenty of time to shop, but she knew that finding out where those earthbenders were was the priority; she owed it to Haru after what she had made him do, and what had happened.</p><p>"No, let's find this ship." she decided, and when they reached the next street, they turned to the right, and she made clear sight of the long stone pier, "There's a few of them here." she noted, counting at least seven ships, including Azula's massive one.</p><p>"Well, let's have a look around." he decided, "We might be able to figure it out from just looking at them."</p><p>"Oh, are you that smart?" she mocked her brother's claim of deduction skills that seemed rather unreasonable; he scoffed at her, and raised his chin in defiance.</p><p>"Just trust me, Katara." he tried to reassure her, but she turned her gaze away, eyeing some guards that were standing down a street to their left; she was sure that the Princess was around, and that might actually provide them with a little cover, as she'd be getting all the attention from the local Fire Nation soldiers.</p><p>She followed her brother down the street, leading them to the pier, where she could see a few men walking around, carrying crates and bags of goods, perhaps to sell in the market. As she and her brother got onto the pier proper, they were forced to walk around crates and a number of men who were carrying what she guessed was a piece of furniture, though it looked rather odd. She glanced up along the pier to see that there was a large ship, clearly not one designed for war, which had a large plank opening out onto the deck, allowing people to take goods off of it. She wondered how much things they could fit on it, compared to the small boats her tribe used. That ship, however, clearly wasn't the one they were looking for.</p><p>"What kind of ship will it be?" Sokka mumbled to himself, scratching his chin as he glanced around at the other ships as they made their way down the pier, "Well... there must be soldiers on it." he deduced, gesturing toward another ship, smaller than the cargo ship they had just walked by, sitting across from Azula's massive vessel.</p><p>As they approached, Katara noted that the ship was quite well guarded, and there were a few long planks coming down from its deck, as well as out of the side of the hull, where she could see a few men moving in crates, which had a few words marked on them, all of them food items, overseen by some soldiers; the men eyed the Water Tribe siblings as they approached, and both of them cringed, realising that they weren't really acting very casually. One of the soldiers raised his hand, gesturing for them to shoo, and Sokka grabbed his sister's arm, obviously not wanting to get them tangled up in anything. A confrontation wouldn't help them in any way, so they were forced to turn around and head back down the pier.</p><p>"I'm pretty sure that's the ship." he have his opinion, "It doesn't have much weapons... and they're putting crates on it. Could you read any?"</p><p>"Food. Rice, vegetables, spices." she clarified what she had read, "I think you're right. Why would they be guarding it like that otherwise? They don't want anyone getting on that ship, because it must go to that prison." she explained her thoughts, Sokka nodding along before he glanced up ahead in the direction of the market, "So... you said we were getting food, right?"</p><p>"We'll need some more." she confirmed, "I don't know how long Haru, Ty Lee and Natsu will be with us for." she conceded, before narrowing her eyes, "Though... the Princess might catch up with us quickly enough."</p><p>"I can't tell if you mean that in a good way or not." he mumbled, making her scoff.</p><p>"I don't want that girl anywhere near us. She's just going to bring all the attention of the Fire Nation on us again. You remember what it was like at the dock the other day, right?"</p><p>"Awkward." he gave a simple, but accurate response, "I don't think she wants the rest of the Fire Nation knowing she's buddy-buddy with Aang."</p><p>"I wouldn't call her buddy-" she began, before shaking her head, "She barely knows him... and she held him captive, remember?"</p><p>"She definitely said she was going to train him." he reminded her, "So did the Fire Lord, so I'm pretty sure she just can't refuse."</p><p>"Okay whatever... I still don't want her around." she retorted, before crossing her arms, "Maybe we should be looking for more information instead of talking about things we probably shouldn't." she suggested, and he cringed, glancing behind them before nodding.</p><p>"Yep." he conceded with a quiet, slightly unsure voice, before narrowing his eyes, "Huh, I guess we could do both at the same time."</p><p>"Both what?"</p><p>"Shop and investigate." he explained, "I'm sure the locals might have a little bit of information, and we can squeeze it out of them."</p><p>"So what, you want to trick them into telling us what the ship's for?" she asked, and he scrunched up his lips.</p><p>"When you say it like that, it sounds a lot less cool." he grumbled, before pacing on ahead; she followed after him, and glanced idly at the ships and dockworkers as they walked by them.</p><p>Everyone seemed consumed by their work, and she guessed that was a good thing; people would be less concerned about two teenagers snooping around, and about their intentions. She knew that people in the town were probably afraid of the Fire Nation, just like that old man must have been; if they gave any indication of their actual reason for being there, getting ratted on was more than likely. She wished people could be braver, but she couldn't blame them; they were all afraid, and now that the Fire Nation had effectively won their war, they had no reason to hope for reprieve, or a better future beyond one of occupation and subordination.</p><p>She was glad that at the very least, her tribe was still willing to fight; they had no given up yet, and her father, along with the other warriors, were out somewhere, making a stand against the Fire Nation wherever they could. She hadn't given up yet either, and neither had Sokka; that was why they were willing to join Aang. If they had been more like those villagers, perhaps they would have just told him to leave their village, to try and protect themselves from the Fire Nation; of course, her brother had done that, but he had changed his mind as Katara argued in the young Avatar's favour, and ultimately, Gran-Gran had allowed them to go help him master the elements.</p><p>As they walked into the market, Sokka eyed around intently for a stall to go buy from, and already seeing one that sold bags of rice, she approached it, and stood in line; her brother stepped over to wait beside her, and eyed behind them for a moment; Katara was confused what intrigued him so much, but realised that a pair of men were standing by the edge of the market, and they weren't local guards. She recognised their armour as belonging to Azula's personal guards, and the fact that Sokka had spent quite some time with them meant they might have already recognised him as they walked past. Even if he had his hair down, instead of in its usual wolf-tail, he was still Sokka, with them same cautious glare he had whenever they were in public, especially around the Fire Nation.</p><p>"Oh... that's not good." she whispered, before squeezing her brother's hand, forcing him to turn his gaze back toward her, "Don't look at them. They mightn't have noticed you."</p><p>He grimaced, and glanced ahead toward the stall, "Let's just get this rice."</p><p>"I'm sorry about the reduced stock." she heard the stall-owner speak to one of the customers, who seemed agitated for some reason.</p><p>"Why are you selling them your rice? You can have a little guts, you know?" he retorted, and one of the other customers tried to hush him, "Don't give me that. I know you're all thinking the same thing."</p><p>"Do you even know who's eating it, Huan?" the stall-owner retorted, now clearly frustrated, "My brother's one of the people they've locked up there. I'm not letting him starve."</p><p>"And now he's helping them make ships for their navy." Huan argued, his voice quietening, "If those earthbenders had any damn courage, they would have jumped into the sea or tried to kill the ash-makers." he argued, "Feeding them isn't going to help them."</p><p>The stall-owner picked up a bag of rice from beside him, and threw it into Huan's hands, "Take that, but you're no longer welcome at my stall. I won't have you saying things like that."</p><p>"This-" the agitated Earth Kingdom man pointed at him, lost for words, before he turned around to stomp away.</p><p>"Okay, next please, unless you want to have an argument to." the stall-owner gestured to the next customer, who stepped forward and pulled some coins from her pocket.</p><p>"No, I won't." she assured him, and with that, it seemed that the confrontation was over.</p><p>Katara's expression brightened, realising that their argument confirmed her suspicions; that ship was the one taking supplies to the prison, and clearly, the man called Huan didn't approve of the stall-owner selling to the Fire Nation, even if it was to help feed his imprisoned brother.</p><p>"You know... that guy had a point." Sokka mumbled, making Katara turn her eyes up to his own.</p><p>"What do you mean? That they should starve?" she asked, confused that he could be agreeing with such a callous opinion.</p><p>"No." he shook his head, "That they're not going to do anything unless somebody reminds them of what they can do." he explained, "If they could see Haru and the courage he has... maybe they'd be more like us."</p><p>She nodded, acknowledging that he was right in regard to courage; he had been afraid once, and so had she, but they had chosen to what was right, and help Aang, even if it was putting them in serious danger.</p><p>"Yeah, I see what you mean." she nodded, before suddenly, her attention was drawn by a hand tapping her on the back; she flinched and turned around, and she froze as she realised it was the two guards who had been standing nearby.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" one of them asked, the question clearly directed at Sokka, "This can't be a coincidence." he declared, though he spoke quietly enough to suggest that the guards didn't want to be rousing suspicion toward them from the locals.</p><p>"Uh... getting food, like people do." Sokka told him a half-truth, and the other guard scoffed.</p><p>"Oh, food? And does food involve getting Earth Kingdom clothes?" he asked, pointing to both of their outfits, "I mean... I see why you would want to, but this is- she's not going to be happy."</p><p>"Hey, we're not causing any trouble." Katara tried to act as normally as she could, while still talking about their reason for being there, "As soon as we get some supplies, we'll be out of your hair... or your helmets." she assured them, making her brother snicker.</p><p>"Heh, that's a good one, Katara." he commended her unintentional joke, before one of the guards pointed a finger on his sternum.</p><p>"I don't like or trust you, boy, but you better not mess around. There's some serious work afoot here, and her highness needs everyone's cooperation."</p><p>"I get it." he assured him, raising his hands to try and seem as non-combative as possible, "We're just getting food. We'll be out of here soon." he stressed, before leaning closer, "Can you do something so this doesn't look suspicious?" he requested quietly, and the guards looked at each other, before one of them grabbed him by the collar.</p><p>"Don't you go snooping around our ship again. You're messing with the wrong people!" he warned him, before throwing Sokka to the ground, though it was clearly not intended to hurt him; the other market-goers looked at them with apprehension, and the other guard raised his hands up to shoo them.</p><p>"Go back to your things. We're done here." he declared, before he and his comrade paced on back toward the pier, and out of the market; Katara glanced down back her brother, seeing that he was lying on the ground, his outfit covered in dirt.</p><p>"Are you alright?" one of the market-goers, a middle-aged woman, asked him, and he waved their helping hand away.</p><p>"I'm fine. I'm just a guy interested in machines, that's all. Damn idiots just have to overreact." he grumbled, creating a cover-story on the spot.</p><p>"Don't mess with the Fire Nation... especially those guys. They protect royalty, I think." she warned him, "That's an easy way to find yourself thrown in prison."</p><p>"Yeah..." he cringed, and Katara furrowed a brow, realising that could have been an alternate path for them to take; if one of them had purposefully got taken to the earthbender prison, they could have been followed on Appa, and it would have made it a lot easier to reach it.</p><p>"Maybe getting imprisoned for being a bender would have been a quicker way to find the place we're looking for." she suggested as her brother dusted himself off.</p><p>"That's a stupid idea, Katara. Do you want to go to prison?"</p><p>"Uh... not by accident."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Imprisoned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <em>"General Iroh, you're here to see the prisoner?"</em>
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  <em>The Dragon of the West held his head up high, eyeing the two guards who were standing by the entrance of the small prison located within the base. Iroh had not come to the prison for no reason, having thought about why a man would try to murder him; the reason he was so interested was because the man was not a soldier, clearly shown by his rather unusual fighting style, and obviously he didn't expect to survive the attempt. He had been burnt by the Prince's guards, and though he had considered attacking him himself, he decided to intervene and stop his men before they killed the man. Not knowing why somebody had tried to kill him was eating away at him, and that was why he had come to the prison.</em>
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  <em>"I am." he answered the guard's question, "Where's his cell?" he asked, and the guard turned around to unlock the door.</em>
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  <em>Once it was open, his comrade moved to stand in front of the doorway as Iroh was led inside, protecting the prison from any potential attackers; it was possible the man was part of a group, and that his comrades might attempt to free him, which would be possible if they could get inside and got themselves some keys. The General eyed the empty cells that lined on either side, approaching the one cell that was occupied; inside that cell, he could see the prisoner, his arms and legs bandaged, with a bandage over his head as well. The man couldn't be that old, perhaps only in his twenties, and he was clearly not happy to see Iroh come to his cell; perhaps he thought he had come to gloat, but that was unlike the Prince, who did not take such trivial pride in his actions.</em>
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  <em>"Oh... here we go." the prisoner groaned, "When do you hang me?" he simply asked the General, who eyed the guard who had led him inside.</em>
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  <em>"I'd like to speak with the prisoner alone." he admitted, and the soldier's eyes narrowed, seeming a little interested.</em>
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  <em>"Are you going to do it yourself, General?" he asked, and Iroh's eyes widened, realising that he had suggested he might just execute the man himself, presumably with his firebending.</em>
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  <em>"Of course not." he scoffed, eyeing the prisoner with a serious expression, "I am not here to kill this man, no matter his intentions for me."</em>
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  <em>"Apologies, your highness." the soldier saluted him, "I didn't mean to assume." he conceded, before hastily making his way down the hall, back toward the front door of the prison.</em>
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  <em>The Prince turned his gaze back toward the prisoner as the guard left them alone, and he noted the fear in the man's eyes, "I was not just trying to get him out of here. I'm not here to kill you."</em>
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  <em>"Hmph." he mumbled, narrowing his cold eyes on the General, "So, you don't have the guts to kill me when you send your men to slaughter soldiers like livestock?" he questioned the morality of his stance, "You could at least have the dignity to be consistent, General Iroh."</em>
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  <em>"I take no pleasure in seeing anyone die." he assured him, "No matter if they try to fight me, or my me. I have never sought needless slaughter; if you believe that, then you are blind to my intentions for being here."</em>
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  <em>"To conquer my people." he retorted with an accurate response, "To subjugate us because you can." he declared, "I don't know the reason why, and I don't want to. It's probably just some shit that will make me sick."</em>
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  <em>General Iroh let out a sigh, knowing there was some merit to the man's words, "I see." he responded softly, before narrowing his eyes, "Why did you come for me? Why not a General that doesn't have Imperial Firebenders watching his every step?"</em>
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  <em>"Do you forget who you are?" the prisoner scoffed, rising up to his feet, "You are the son of the Fire Lord. You are the future of your nation. You're everything they will hate to lose." he explained his reasoning, which made some sense to the General; he was well-respected, and being Crown Prince, he would one day become the Fire Lord, so if he died, it might weaken the morale of their troops, not to say of the mindset his compatriots and subordinates held.</em>
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  <em>"I imagine they wouldn't be happy if I died." he conceded, "But I don't care about how they feel about me." he added, remembering whose opinion he really valued.</em>
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  <em>"Oh..." the prisoner narrowed his eyes, considering his words for a moment, "So you wonder what your loved-ones would think? Maybe they'd be sad that you were weak enough to fall to a non-bender."</em>
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  <em>"And how would yours feel when they learned all remained of you was some ashes?" he questioned him in return, and the prisoner scoffed.</em>
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  <em>"Why do you think I'm here? Because I love the Earth Kingdom? Fuck off." he retorted, and the General sighed, understanding what the man's reasons were; he mightn't have said anything specific, but Iroh knew people, and his eyes said it all- he was done with his fight, he just wanted it to end.</em>
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  <em>He sat himself down on the ground, now facing the man on his own level, "Your pain must be strong if you were willing to do this."</em>
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  <em>"It is." the prisoner assured him, "But... where is your heart, General? I assume it doesn't sit here in this dark and shitty little prison? How do you sleep at night knowing what you've done?"</em>
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  <em>"I do sleep, and I do remember." he assured him, "Just because I am not a broken man does not mean I have not seen the worst of humanity. I know anger, I know grief, and I know who you are, even if I don't know your name." he explained his understanding as best as he could.</em>
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  <em>"Do you see their faces, General?" he questioned him, his voice ever so pained as he did.</em>
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  <em>"I do." he confirmed, "I find it hard to forget, but I carry on. Because I know that pain is not all there is to life, even if I have inflicted it on others."</em>
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  <em>"Why?" he gasped out, raising his bandaged hand toward the General, "Why do you do it?"</em>
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  <em>"Because it's expected of me." he told him the truth, "I did..." he began, wondering what might have become of him had he not taken the path his father wanted him to, "I did not want to lose what I had, so I became somebody I wish I didn't."</em>
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  <em>"So even you, the mighty Dragon of the West, regret becoming a soldier." he noted, "I am not surprised... and not disappointed."</em>
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  <em>"Disappointed?" he asked him, and the prisoner nodded, his expression somewhat more pleased.</em>
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  <em>"You are a man of truth." he conceded, "You might live the lies that you tell yourself, but I doubt you believe them... at least not all of them."</em>
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  <em>The General crossed his arms, seeing a little merit in what the prisoner was saying; he didn't believe everything he was told, but he did live despite his disbelief. He had fought in a war that brought suffering to countless innocents, ostensibly to bring better lives to those who had fallen under their rule; Iroh didn't know if that better future was certain, but was sure that he could help achieve it, once he became Fire Lord.</em>
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  <em>"I guess you are right." he conceded, "I did not expect coming here to be the one getting interrogated." he admitted, slightly humoured by the deep, serious questioning he was receiving from a man who had tried to kill him only earlier that day.</em>
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  <em>"I did not expect to be alive right now." he admitted, "So, I am making the most of it."</em>
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  <em>"That is understandable." he noted, before eyeing the prisoner's bandaged limbs, "Are you still in pain?"</em>
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  <em>"Yes." he admitted, "But I don't see how that's your problem." he glared him down, "You're going to leave, and I'm going to the rope, General."</em>
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  <em>"No." he shook his head, "You're not being hung." he clarified, and the prisoner's expression shifted to one of concern.</em>
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  <em>"Wait... no... you're- you're just going to throw me into some camp, aren't you?"</em>
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  <em>"I don't have much choice in the matter." he admitted, "You are far less of a threat than you might think. You're only one man, and from what it seems like, you don't have an accomplices, seeing that you haven't threatened me, or indicated to any kind of bigger plan."</em>
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  <em>"Well, you're right." he confirmed, "I was the only one with the guts to go after you."</em>
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  <em>"Who?" he asked him simply, the prisoner glancing around his cell, confused by his question.</em>
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  <em>"Who? What do you mean?"</em>
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  <em>"Who did they kill?" he asked him, hoping that he would give an honest answer; Iroh wanted to know, because he wanted to see what could truly motivate a man to do what he had done.</em>
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  <em>"Everyone." he admitted, "Everyone I cared about. I just... I couldn't even do anything... other than this."</em>
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  <em>"What- where are you from?"</em>
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  <em>"Fengfu." he clarified, and the General narrowed his eyes, recalling the name of that village.</em>
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  <em>The Rough Rhinos had attacked it only about a month earlier, when the local Earth Kingdom forces had holed themselves up in a local outpost, and the town was burnt to the ground, killing dozens of innocents in the process. He grimaced as he realised that his own actions had led to that situation. He had refused to attack the village, and decided that starving the enemy soldiers out and forcing a surrender would be a better option. One of his comrades, General Tiechi, had decided that there was only one way to flush out the enemy, and acted when he would not; the Rough Rhinos used savage tactics that sickened Iroh, taking no care for enemy or bystander, and he wished that he could have stopped the turn of events.</em>
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  <em>"I-" he mumbled, before dropping his head down, realising his guilt, "I'm sorry."</em>
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  <em>"Now you remember." the prisoner crossed his arms, not sounding like he cared for his apology.</em>
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  <em>"I know what happened to your village." he admitted, "I could have done something... but I didn't stop them."</em>
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  <em>"Yeah, I know." the prisoner nodded, "You might not be as bad as them, but you allowed that to happen. Just like your father, commanding his generals to destroy countless villages like mine."</em>
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  <em>"There are many things wrong with how my fellow countrymen conduct themselves." he conceded the fault of the Fire Nation in their war effort; even if Iroh aspired to end the war on their terms, he did not want to bring about the needless suffering of innocents in the process- by supporting it, he was enabling the worst of the Fire Nation to enact savagery, replicating the kind of destruction that only the Air Nomads had been unlucky enough to face.</em>
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  <em>The prisoner had his arms crossed, and seemed to be interested in what he had to say next, "Please, continue." he suggested, and the General turned his eyes away.</em>
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  <em>"I wish I could be as good a man as my son thinks I am." he mumbled under his breath, before shaking his head; Lu Ten's image of him should be the least of his concerns when villages were being burnt down to the ground, but he knew that he couldn't be a hypocrite- he was the one who told his son about honour, dignity and mercy, when he let such things be ignored for the good of their war effort.</em>
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  <em>"You aren't a good man, General." he warned him, before raising his chin up, "But I hope, for the greater good of everyone fighting in this pointless war, that you become a better one."</em>
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  <em>"I-" he gasped, knowing what would happen if he openly opposed his father's policies, "What I need to do... what I should do... it won't work."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What do you mean? You won't win your stupid war if you don't utterly destroy our will to fight?" he questioned, "Trust me, my will is gone, but I doubt everyone is going to just give up now, because you're winning. You've been winning for ninety years. Another ninety could pass, and Ba Sing Se might still stand. For what? For all of us to become your slaves?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's not what I meant." he tried to defend his statement, "My father. He won't stand for it. Even if I agree with you- I have to serve him. If I don't do my duty, then... things will get a lot worse soon enough." he admitted the truth; there was truly something far worse than winning the war conventionally, and he wanted to avoid it more than anything, given what his grandfather had done to the Air Nomads for the sake of an Avatar that was never found.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What does that mean?" he narrowed his eyes, before his expression became a lot more uneasy, "Oh... The Comet."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, The Comet." he confirmed his suspicions, "If I don't take Ba Sing Se and end this war before Sozin's Comet arrives, my father will burn it to the ground. Trust me, whatever my men do there... it will be nothing in comparison to what Sozin's Comet can do."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"And what if you tell him not to?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then my brother will be Crown Prince instead of me. Even if my father dies before the comet, he... he will be even worse. My father... at least he has some methodology to his strategies. Ozai is a monster. He doesn't care for the lives of his own countrymen, let alone yours."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So what... you have no option other than to continue fighting?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes. If I had one, I would have chosen it long ago."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You still have ten years." the prisoner observed, "What if you... kill him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh's heart sunk in his chest upon hearing that, "I can't- I can't kill my own father. Would you do that to yours?" he retorted, the prisoner snarling.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't have that choice anymore, even if my father was evil, which he wasn't." he retorted, before pointing a finger toward him, "Well, how about your brother, if he's as bad you say he is?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I w-" he gasped, before hammering his fist into the bars of the cell, "I will not do that to them!" he declared in defiance, knowing that if there was anything that could do to make his niece and nephew as bad as their own father, it would be that; even if Ozai would gladly accept his offer of an Agni Kai, out of arrogance, and Iroh would kill him with a redirected lightning bolt to the chest, he could not do it, "They would hate me." he declared the fact of the matter.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Who?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My niece and nephew. They're only small children. How could I kill their father? They don't even have a mother."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hmph, so you really are motivated by love... not hatred." he observed, "That is admirable, but it will not win you this war, and it will not save the people of Ba Sing Se, let alone the rest of my country."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." he refused to believe him, "It will." he declared, before rising to his feet, "I promise you that." he assured him, turning around to face the front door.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're a fool." the prisoner warned him, "You have to do something!" he demanded, and the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation turned around, still certain of his path, and his duties as a father and uncle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will do something, even you don't like it. There is a better path, and you have only strengthened my resolve to find it." he assured the prisoner, whose expression shifted from one of frustration to one of confusion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Will you stop this war?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That is the only thing I can do."</em>
</p><hr/><p>The massive, dark and foreboding metal structure in the distance made Sokka reconsider what exactly he was doing; he knew that helping the earthbenders was the right thing, but he couldn't help but feel a little concerned that they were in over their heads. Sure, Aang was a great airbender, and Ty Lee's skills were rather impressive, but that didn't mean they could stand a chance against all the guards in the prison. he was sure that they would need all the prisoners on side before they could do anything, though given Haru's father was one of them, and it was likely he knew of some of the others, he might be able to persuade them to rise up against their captors.</p><p>He knew that their actions wouldn't be approved by the Princess either, and he just hoped the guards bought his bullshit back at the market. She would be furious if she found out they were going out of their way to break prisoners out of Fire Nation prisons, so he just hoped that they could get everything done quickly enough, before she inevitably showed up with her ship and guards to lock down the prison. She would be on their tail by that point, given the guards back at Haru's village definitely knew Aang was the Avatar.</p><p>"Okay, this is a lot bigger than I thought it would be." Katara spoke up, and her eyes moved towards the one Fire Nation individual on Appa's saddle, "Is this what you were expecting?"</p><p>"Well... uh, kinda reminds me of some things I've seen around the capital... just not this big." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes, "There's probably lots of guards here. We're going to have to hide until we find the earthbenders."</p><p>"I wonder where they are." Haru mumbled, and Katara placed a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"I'm sure they're all safe... we just need to find them."</p><p>"And some earth for them to bend." Sokka acknowledged, "I don't think we're going to be fighting those guards without their help."</p><p>"Well, there's only one way to get both of those." Aang noted, "Ask somebody." he admitted, and the Water Tribe warrior let out a snicker.</p><p>"Do you mean interrogating the guards?" he asked, and Ty Lee cracked her knuckles.</p><p>"That's an option." she conceded, before pointing down to the metal railing that surrounded the massive metal rig on each side, "Let's land down somewhere they won't see the sky-bison." she suggested, and Aang pulled on Appa's reins, prodding the sky-bison to lower down as they drew nearer to the rig.</p><p>The Water Tribe teen rose up from the saddle, peering down toward the edge of the metal platform as they approached, and as Appa softly touched down, he glanced up and down the breadth of it. He couldn't see any guards just yet, but he was sure there were some around; Sokka jumped down onto the platform, quickly followed by Ty Lee and then Aang, who turned his attention back toward his sky-bison.</p><p>"Appa, you need to go find some place to hide. I don't want the Fire Nation hurting you." he warned Appa, who let out a soft groan, before turning around slightly; Katara and Haru jumped off of the saddle, and a few moments later, the sky-bison leapt up into the air, before gliding down in a circle, making his way underneath the platform, where he would remain out of sight.</p><p>Sokka turned around to note the tall metal fence that surrounded the prison all on sides, though the gaps were wide enough for them all to climb through, he could see a warehouse in the distance, and decided that would be a good place to start looking for earth to bend, for both Haru,and all the prisoners. He silently indicated for them to step through, and he was quickly followed the others.</p><p>"Well, now we have to find those prisoners." his sister stated the next step of the plan, and he tensed up, hearing the sound of footsteps in the distance just a moment later.</p><p>"Uh, we need to hide." Haru stated the obvious, before he raced toward the warehouse Sokka had spotted earlier, trying to open the first door he found; he tried to open it, and when he realised it was locked, Aang frantically drew out his glider.</p><p>"Was this a bad place to land?" he asked, and Katara pointed to their left, down along the edge of the rig.</p><p>"There has to be some place that isn't locked. They're coming from that way." she explained, pointing back the other way to indicate the source of the footsteps.</p><p>Sokka didn't think they could waste any more time, and began running down the platform; he knew the plan was risky to begin with, and he would do anything he could to keep Aang and Katara safe while he was by their side. He knew it wasn't the best fighter, at least compared to the people he'd witnessed recently; Suki, the other Kyoshi Warriors, Azula, Iroh, and now Ty Lee and Haru. The Water Tribe warrior drew his boomerang off of his back as they approached another doorway, and saw as his sister pushed it open; everyone followed in after her, and Sokka immediately pulled the door shut behind him.</p><p>He noticed that it was a hallway leading into what looked like a storage area, though he couldn't be sure; the lighting was dim, and he couldn't hear any people inside, which dissuaded his fears they might have just stepped into a trap. He could still hear the footsteps outside, and though they were taking a while to get louder, he wondered whether the guards would come inside; he glanced toward Ty Lee and Haru, who were both nervously crouching by the doorway, and wondered whether they wanted to take the guards out, so they could interrogate them for information.</p><p>"Are we going to beat these guys up?" he asked, and Ty Lee nodded.</p><p>"I need you two to cover their mouths, so they don't shout when I chi-block them. If they do, the rest of the guards will come to check here... then there'll be bigger issues."</p><p>"Like fighting off thirty guys at once?" Haru guessed, and she grimaced, before nodding to confirm his fears.</p><p>All of their eyes moved to the ajar door, through the gap of which, Sokka could just barely see outside; he waited patiently, listening to the footsteps as they slowly got louder, and he made out the sound of voices as well.</p><p>"I heard that they're bringing in some new spices on that supply ship." one of the guards spoke to the other, Sokka narrowing his eyes; their conversation was likely about their dinner, given the time of day, which annoyed him, as his stomach was grumbling for more food.</p><p>He couldn't let food distract him, and he tensed his grip on his boomerang, wondering if he ought to throw it as a distraction; he decided against that, and put it back in its holster as he continued to listen.</p><p>"Oh, good. So tomorrow's dinner won't be shit." the other guard observed, "The damn warden's practically rationing for us... and we're not even the prisoners."</p><p>"What do you expect when high command has to feed every man from the capital to Ba Sing Se?" the guard warned his comrade as they stepped past the doorway, completely oblivious to their presence.</p><p>Ty Lee grasped the door and slowly pulled it open after they had moved past, and without any delay, Sokka and Haru stepped back outside; they eyed the two soldiers, who were still casually chatting amongst themselves.</p><p>"We need a tax or two to keep our stomachs full." one of them joked, the two guards laughing as the two teenagers approached them slowly from behind.</p><p>The two guards didn't see their hands coming for their mouths as their mouths were forced shut as Sokka and Haru both threw the guards down to the ground to tackle them; Ty Lee rushed toward the guards without delay, jumping over them all before she landed on the other side, without a single fault in her landing, using her feet to jab them in the guts. One of them tried to throw his fist toward her, and no flames came from his hand; Sokka could see the shock and fear in his eyes, and hear the mumbles and grunts he made, unable to shout, let alone open his mouth. He kept a grip on the guards mouth, and watched as the Fire Nation girl eyed both of them; she didn't relent to jab them both again, paralysing their limbs, before she punched the one Haru had grappled in the chin, knocking him out cold.</p><p>"Well, now they can't escape. Let's go back in." she decided, and the two boys dragged the men along, the conscious one squirming, despite his arms and legs being limp.</p><p>The Water Tribe warrior kept his grip firm on the guard's jaw, making sure he couldn't try and shout for help as he was pulled through the doorway; Aang and Katara looked at them with surprise, and he glanced at them, "Do any of you have something to gag this guy? I really don't want him screaming."</p><p>Aang grimaced, obviously not liking the idea of them taking a captive, but his sister was less concerned than he was; she reached over to Sokka's left arm, which had been pulling the guard along, and pulled off his forearm band, and he made a sheepish smile as she moved to wrap it around the guard's mouth. He grunted and snarled as she did so, but Katara's glare was enough to make him quieten down.</p><p>"This guy's stupidly heavy." Haru complained, "What's with this armour?"</p><p>"That's how they keep themselves safe from things like rocks getting tossed at them." Ty Lee clarified, and he let out a little chuckle.</p><p>"Oh... well, we'll test if they're good enough soon." he noted what would soon be coming for the guards of the prison rig.</p><p>"Where are we putting these guys?" Aang asked them nervously, and the Fire Nation girl glanced down the hallway cautiously.</p><p>"This is probably storerooms... so, in here somewhere." she gave her idea, and Sokka glanced toward the gagged guard's face, noting that his expression had shifted slightly; he obviously knew what they were doing, or at least, had a good enough idea, and he probably knew what the rooms were used for.</p><p>"What do you think? Storeroom, or the sea?" he asked the guard in jest, and he frantically shook his head, his mumbles suggesting he certainly didn't want to face the latter, "Oh, you can't swim?" he asked, before eyeing his thick, steel armour, "Well, with that, no wonder you can't."</p><p>He put his hands under the guards armpits, and grabbed his chestplate, pulling him and his limp body along as they made their way down the hallway, Aang providing a little assistance by grabbing the legs of the guard; they took the two guards down the hallway, Katara pushing one of the doors open, leading them into a storeroom, where he could see a number of boxes, crates and shelves, full of supplies, presumably for maintaining the rig. Once they had gotten both the men inside, Ty Lee shut the door, before Sokka pulled the gag from the guard's mouth; his frantic eyes darted between them all and he tried to move, fruitlessly wagging his limp arms and legs about, unable to do anything but squirm.</p><p>"Sh-shit don't kill me, please." he pleaded, and Sokka rolled his eyes, not having any intention to do something so extreme.</p><p>"We're not killing you." he assured him, "But you are staying here for a while." he noted, before glancing back toward Haru, "Do you want to ask him?"</p><p>"Where are the prisoners?" he asked, and the man's eyes widened, obviously figuring out their general aim.</p><p>"There's no hope trying that. You're not going to escape."</p><p>"Uh, no, we are." Katara assured him, before pointing a finger at him accusingly, "Where are they?"</p><p>"They're... on the southern side of the rig. There's an area there we're they're kept, walled off from the rest."</p><p>"Are they in cells?" Sokka inquired, the guard narrowing his eyes.</p><p>"Why would we- there's no need for cells when-" he began, before Haru kicked him in the shin; he was about to cry out in pain, but the Water Tribesman put his hand over the man's mouth.</p><p>"Maybe wait to beat the guy after he's gagged?" he asked him as politely as he could, and the agitated earthbender sighed, before nodding, seeming to understand they had to get more intelligence before they could do any brash.</p><p>"Fuck." the guard snarled, "You damn shits are going to pay for this."</p><p>"No, I don't think we are." Ty Lee retorted, "Just tell us about the prison. Are they working right now?"</p><p>"Of course not. It's night. They're all back in their area... and we leave them be." he explained, eyeing Haru, "You're an earthbender, aren't you?"</p><p>"And you're probably letting all of them starve." the Earth Kingdom boy retorted, and the guard's expression shifted to one of fear.</p><p>"You are?" Katara scoffed, "How-" she gasped, "We have to stop them now." she declared her intentions, pacing toward the door.</p><p>"Wait, Katara." Haru asked her, and she stopped her pacing, turning her eyes back toward the guard.</p><p>"You're going to be caught." he warned them, "If you want to save yourselves, you better leave now." he stressed, and the Earth Kingdom boy stared him down.</p><p>"No, we're not leaving. I'm not letting this go on any longer." he declared, "Where's some earth?" he simply asked him, and the guard scoffed.</p><p>"We don't have any, dirt muncher." he mocked him; there was a moment of hesitation from the Earth Kingdom boy, and Sokka tried to grab his hand, but failed to stop him from punching the man in the head, knocking him unconscious.</p><p>The Water Tribesman grimaced slightly, realising how much pent up anger was in the boy; he didn't like the Fire Nation himself, but his rage had always been redirected into his duties as a warrior, protecting his village, and now, Aang and Katara. Haru never had anything like that, and now, he was finally given the chance to bite back at the people who had made his life hell.</p><p>"Did you have to do that?" Aang asked him with an uneasy voice, and the Earth Kingdom teen turned his cold, frustrated eyes to meet his own.</p><p>"Yes." he simply responded, before turning back to face Katara, "Let's go."</p><p>"Just wait a minute." Ty Lee raised a hand, "Nobody knows where any earth is, right? So how are the earthbenders going to free themselves?"</p><p>Aang's eyes widened, "I think I know how." he spoke up, Sokka raising a brow, surprised that the twelve year old was the one out of all of them with a plan.</p><p>"Really?" he asked him, "Where is it?"</p><p>"Well, when we were flying in, I saw that there were a lot of chimneys, so they must be burning a lot of stuff."</p><p>"Yeah, this a shipyard... I think." the Water Tribe warrior noted, "So they're probably making steel."</p><p>"And what would they be burning? Coal, in other words, earth." the young Avatar explained his idea, and Sokka grinned, realising that they could find some coal, and get it to the earthbenders.</p><p>"Oh, that's a good idea." he accepted his proposition, "Just how are we going to get it to the earthbenders, though?"</p><p>"I'm a master airbender." he declared, "I can figure it out."</p><p>"It'd help if you could earthbend." the Water Tribesman admitted, before glancing to Haru, "Maybe you could help?"</p><p>"No, I need to find my dad." he refused, "When you find the coal, tell us where it is so we can get to it." he suggested, and the pair nodded, before their eyes turned to Ty Lee and Katara.</p><p>"What about you?" Aang asked, "Are you going with us, or to find the earthbenders?"</p><p>"I think they'll need some motivation." Ty Lee admitted, "And I'm sure seeing that those guys aren't unbeatable will help." she noted, cracking her knuckles as she said that; Sokka imagined what she might do the guards, and chuckled at the thought, before glancing toward his sister.</p><p>"How about you?"</p><p>"I want to help these earthbenders. I'm not as good at fighting as you and Aang... so I'll got with them." she explained, and the two boys nodded, before pacing over toward the door.</p><p>"Good luck." the young Avatar farewelled them, "We'll get back as soon as we can." he assured the group before he pushed the door open.</p><p>Sokka followed him out, and they paced down the hallway, further into the storerooms, "Where did you see those chimneys?"</p><p>"Around the middle of the rig." he explained, the Water Tribesman raising a finger to his chin.</p><p>"I guess they'd store the coal in a central location, so they can use it easily." he guessed, before pointing toward the doorway ahead of them, "We better stay hidden. If the guards know we're here, Katara and the othres are going to be in big trouble." he warned his friend, who nodded.</p><p>"Don't worry, I can be stealthy." he assured him, and he slowly pushed the door open, before eyeing outside, "Oh, this must be where they make those ships."</p><p>Sokka stepped out after him, and glanced up and down the wide walkway that sat in the middle of what looked like the working area; he could see the chimneys, along with a massive superstructure, sitting to their right, and to their left, a set of walls, and some gates, behind which he guessed the prisoners would be. He followed after Aang, keeping his head down and his eyes out for guards; he hadn't see any more of them, though as they got closer to the superstructure, he heard some voices; Aang leapt to the side with the use of his airbending, landing within the partially built hull of a ship.</p><p>Sokka followed him inside, and eyed back behind them after he took cover by a sheet of metal. There were more guards on patrol, obviously enough, and they continued on past the ship, unaware of the two boys, who were able to hide amongst the sheets and pieces of metal laid around. The Water Tribesman eyed around, noting how massive the ships were, and wondered how many of them the prisoners had been forced to build; the idea of it disturbed him, considering what the Fire Nation had been using their ships to do.</p><p>"We have to find that coal, Aang." he stressed to his friend, who nodded; the look of confidence on his face was not frustrating, or annoying, as it might have been in another context- he really wanted to help the earthbenders, just like Katara did, even if was for different reasons.</p><p>"Don't worry. We'll find it, and those earthbenders will be free."</p><hr/><p>Climbing off of her mongoose lizard, Princess Azula looked upon the village of Ganggu, and its clearly fearful inhabitants; they obviously didn't want any more chaos coming to their town, after what had been happening over the past few days, and Azula agreed with that sentiment. She would more than anything else to see Ty Lee safe and Aang and his friends long gone; they were causing problems, and those problems fell in her lap. Even if they weren't close by, she was sure that she could figure out a general path they had taken, and thus, determine where she would need to go to find Ty Lee. Her friend associating with with the Avatar was not something she expected, though she guessed that there was a more of a reason than her friendly nature; there was something afoot in Ganggu, and the Avatar was the least of her concerns when she considered it.</p><p>Her guards flanked her on either side as she made her way down the length of the street, eyeing the commoners as she did so; her unwavering glare kept their eyes away from her, and proved they were afraid of her. She understood their reasoning, and found no issue with it; she was not somebody to be trifled with, and they wouldn't dare to attack or demean her, given all the men she had with her, no matter how much they despised her nation. At the end of the street sat what must have originally been the town hall, but was now the Fire Nation garrison's base of operations, outside of which she saw a few soldiers standing duty. They were surprised to see her, it seemed, and as she approached, one of the soldiers, clearly the highest ranked of the group, came forward, bowing toward her.</p><p>"Your highness, it's an honour to have you before us." he acknowledged her presence, "Is there anything we can do for you?" he asked, and Azula narrowed her eyes at him, before she gestured for her guards to move around the perimeter of the building, "Is... is there something wrong? I mean... other than the Avatar showing up here."</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, "There is a conspiracy afoot to kill the Fire Lord, as you might already know."</p><p>"Of course." he nodded, "So, you're here to meet the investigators."</p><p>She nodded, not wanting to cause a scene by revealing her actual intentions for meeting them, "I heard from Major Zhengyi about what happened here, and that there was a supposed traitor in this village." she explained her reason for being there, not a lie in the slightest; who had actually been treacherous was up for debate, contrary to what she assumed the soldiers had been told.</p><p>"Ah, yes... we asked for back-up to deal with the Avatar and his cronies." he admitted, "But it seems they've run away."</p><p>"I've dealt with them before." she clarified, "That's not to be unexpected. There's only three of them; they can't fight off a whole garrison."</p><p>"Well, there's not three of them. The traitor and an earthbender have joined them."</p><p>"I also heard that... I assume it is more of a temporary partnership, given the circumstances. Your men were seeking to arrest them, after all."</p><p>"Uh... yes, we were." he confirmed, before indicating to the door behind him, "Please, I'll take you to the investigators. I'm sure they'll be pleased to meet you."</p><p>She doubted that, but kept her thoughts to herself as she followed him in, a few of her guards coming after her. As they made their way inside, she took note of the interior of the structure, which was clearly old and in need of repairs, though it was by no means unused. She could see racks of weapons and armour in one corner, a table for eating, and a desk, presumably used by the commanding officer of the garrison. Beyond that there was a division in the hall, and a smaller hallway leading past it, presumably to the guards' personal quarters. The soldier led her toward a door, which he knocked on; there was a few moments of silence, before the door was opened up, revealing a soldier who wasn't wearing armour, but instead, finer robes that were clearly indicative of somebody of higher rank. She didn't need much to deduce he was one of the operatives of the Intelligence Service, and he looked at her, confused by her presence.</p><p>"Uh... Princess Azula." he addressed her, "For what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked as he bowed toward her in respect.</p><p>She crossed her arms, unsure whether the man was the one she wanted to be talking to, "Are you the leader?" she asked him, and he gestured behind, indicating to another man who was sitting over a desk, reading some scrolls.</p><p>"No. Commander Mang is the leader of our group." he clarified; the Commander's eyes turned up to meet her own, and he pushed his chair out, before rising to his feet.</p><p>"We are honoured to have you come assist us, your highness. Would you like a briefing?"</p><p>"No." she retorted, before she pulled the door shut behind her; there were only three men in the room, and she guessed the others were out looking for Ty Lee, "What is your mission here, specifically?"</p><p>"To apprehend a conspirator, in league with those seeking to kill Fire Lord Iroh." Mang explained himself simply, and the Princess narrowed her eyes; she wanted to hear the accusations first before she said anything that revealed her own knowledge of the conspiracy.</p><p>"And what evidence was given to you to prove that you were actually seeking out a traitor?" she asked, and the men looked at each other, their expressions shifting to ones of confusion.</p><p>"Command gave us the mission, and we accepted it without question." the man who had opened the door explained, "We do not doubt the veracity of their intelligence."</p><p>"And who oversees the Intelligence Service?" she simply asked them, and Mang narrowed his eyes at her.</p><p>"Your father, Prince Ozai, your highness." he told her what she already knew; her father had his fingers in everything, so it didn't surprise her that he was using his authority and connections to let the Intelligence Service do his dirty work, and not his henchmen, who wouldn't be trusted by the local garrison, let alone anyone else they encountered in hunting down Ty Lee.</p><p>"I'm only going to ask you this once: did you receive this order formally, or because your unit was selected by the Minister or one of his secretaries."</p><p>"The-" Mang mumbled, before narrowing his eyes, "We're not privy to the decisions Command makes, or if the Minister had a say in them."</p><p>"Good." she narrowed her eyes, feeling confident that the men before her weren't actually in league with her father's conspiracy, but were merely pawns in his game, "What I am about to tell you is not public knowledge as of yet, and I am only telling you because you will continue pursuing the supposed traitor if I do not. Do you know the traitors name?"</p><p>"Uh... I believe it was Ty Lee. An acrobat at Shuzumu's Travelling Circus."</p><p>"Which you burnt down." she reminded them, sure that they had covered it up; her assumption was proven correct as they looked at her nervously.</p><p>"Th-that was an accident." Mang tried to explain himself, "We simply wanted to find the girl and apprehend her, but the workers at the circus thought we were thieves. Things got violent." he admitted, before narrowing his eyes at her, "Did you want to find the girl? Is she important?"</p><p>"Important to whom is the question you ought to be asking." she suggested, before eyeing each of the men, "You really have no idea who she actually is, don't you?" she asked, sure that they would have said something if they were informed of her association with the Princess.</p><p>"I'm sorry, but we don't know what you're talking about. She's an acrobat, and connected with the conspiracy. That's all we know." the agent who was sitting in the corner of the room excused his group for their lack of knowledge.</p><p>"Ty Lee is a noblewoman from the Imperial Capital, and she is my close friend, who I went to school with for years. She is not a traitor, not in the slightest. Everything you were told was a lie fabricated by my father, Prince Ozai, to try and cover up his own complicity in the very conspiracy you seek to vanquish." she explained the fact of the matter, and their expressions shifted to ones of unease; the Commander raised a hand.</p><p>"The Prince?" Mang asked her, sounding skeptical, and understandably afraid of such a suggestion, "You mean to say he's behind the conspiracy?"</p><p>Their eyes were narrowed her, and Azula tensed up, unsure what they were really thinking; they might have thought she was lying, but she would have to go on with her explanation, and not leave them asking or talking about what she had just told them.</p><p>"Yes." she confirmed, "You would have found this out quickly enough once you apprehended my friend, but you might have thought her intelligence was fabricated, to try and turn the Royal Family on itself. That would be the obvious conclusion, given that starting a civil war is not in the interest of any person who seeks to rule and lead our nation."</p><p>"I-" the Commander gasped, utterly shocked by what he was hearing, "You're saying we're here to stop the conspiracy from being unveiled?"</p><p>"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." she stressed, raising her right hand up toward the Commander, lighting a flame on her tip of her index finger as she gestured toward his face, "You have been a mere pawn in his game, and now, you see the truth, Commander."</p><p>"What- why would he even do this?" one of the men asked her, "This is insane."</p><p>"I know it is. That's why it has be stopped." she explained, "The Avatar is nothing compared to what will be unleashed if my father isn't stopped quietly."</p><p>"We swore to serve and protect our nation." Mang acknowledged their duty, "We cannot... we cannot continue this operation. You have my deepest apologies, your highness. We had no idea about any of this."</p><p>"I am pleased that you are so remorseful." she acknowledged, "If not I would have been beating you for attacking my friend as you did. She did not deserve any of the punishments you have given her." she warned them, and the Commander stepped back, now clearly afraid of what she might do.</p><p>"Please, have mercy on us, your highness. We were fooled- we have been made fools." he admitted their fault, and raised a hand to his face, "I can't believe this."</p><p>"I understand your confusion, and any doubts you may have." she conceded, "But, I do not have the physical evidence I would need to prove my claims. The only thing that can is the documents my friend has on her."</p><p>"Then we ought to find her at once. For the security of our nation; if what you're saying is true, then those documents are the only thing we can use against the Prince."</p><p>"You won't be doing anything. I understand that you were assigned here on a mission, but this comes before that. I need you to report back, and act as if nothing were amiss. The fugitive is still missing, and you don't know where she is, or what she knows." she suggested to Mang, hoping that he would follow her advice; she could try and coerce them into following her plan, but she was sure that it wouldn't help.</p><p>"We don't know anything." one of the men declared, "This conversation was only about the Avatar. He's the only thing concerning your appearance here."</p><p>"That's exactly what I want to hear." she smirked, glad he had taken her chain of thought and ran with it, "If this all goes to plan, the Fire Lord and our whole nation will owe you a great debt of gratitude. We cannot let that information fall into the hands of those who seek to destroy it."</p><p>"This is what we swore to do, your highness." the Commander stressed, "We will not fail to protect it from all threats that face it."</p><p>"I believe that concludes our discussion." she admitted, "I will go search for the Avatar and Ty Lee, and hopefully, they haven't stirred up any more chaos."</p><p>"Will the Prince send more people after her?" one of the operatives asked her, and she narrowed her eyes, genuinely unsure what her father's plans for Ty Lee were beyond the Intelligence Service agent before her.</p><p>"He might. I am prepared to face them, assassins, bounty hunters, whatever they might be." she assured them, "Your cooperation has been appreciated. Though I enjoy fighting, I did not want to tarnish this evening by being forced to kill you all." she bluntly acknowledged what she would have done if they had truly been in league with her father.</p><p>"I am just as glad as you are, your highness." the Commander noted, clearly unnerved by her comments; she had meant what she said- she didn't want to kill them, and given that they were effectively innocent by ignorance, she couldn't justify harming them, even if they had threatened and presumably hurt Ty Lee.</p><p>"That- that wasn't a joke." one of his subordinates realised, and she nodded.</p><p>"I do not joke about life and death." she warned him, "And I take my duties with the utmost seriousness. The Fire Lord expects me to protect our nation and ensure all threats are dealt with."</p><p>"There is no threat here." the Commander assured her, "Unless you believe the Avatar will cause us more issues."</p><p>"Perhaps he will." she conceded, not enthused by the idea of Aang causing chaos alongside Ty Lee; she was a little amused by the suggestion, given that she could imagine the two of them getting along quite well, "I certainly would prefer if he didn't, but his time on my ship gave me some insight into his temperament." she explained her thought process, before glancing back toward the door.</p><p>"What actually happened last night?" she asked, and Mang stepped forward.</p><p>"There was a report of an earthbender living in the village, and the garrison went to investigate. They were attacked by the alleged traitor, your friend, and she was beaten and knocked unconscious, before being taken here to us. Before we could apprehend her formally, the Avatar and his associates intervened. There was a short fight, before the group split up, and we gave chase to the traitor, but failed to reach her before they fled on the sky-bison." he explained the turn of events, which she had already gotten some understanding of from the message Major Zhengyi had received.</p><p>"Who actually beat her?" she simply asked, as that was what she wanted to know before she stepped out to face the men who had clearly hurt her friend.</p><p>"The Captain and his men. They were intent on capturing her after we explained her alleged crimes." Mang clarified, speaking quite calmly, perhaps unknowing of her actual intent, "He would have been the one who greeted you."</p><p>"Thank you." she simply responded, before pushing the door back open, stepping back out into the barracks; the soldiers present looked her way, and she narrowed her eyes at the man who had greeted her; upon examining him, she noted his stocky build, narrowed, cautious eyes, and a kind of air about him that suggested he was rather confident in his role.</p><p>"Did you find what you wanted to, your highness?" he asked her, and Azula strode toward him, eyeing her guards, who were standing around the barracks, waiting for her order; she raised her left hand up, gesturing her finger in a motion that she would usually use when they were sparring to tell them to stop- she didn't want to start an actual brawl because of her relatively small grievances.</p><p>"I did. I will still need to search for the Avatar, but there is something I must inform you of." she admitted, the Captain's eyes widening with surprise.</p><p>"Oh." he mumbled, standing up from his desk, placing his palms together, "What is it?"</p><p>"There has been a mix up concerning a supposed traitor. I have informed the Intelligence Service of their mistake, and now I will tell you yours. That girl is no arsonist, let alone a conspirator. She is my personal friend. The only reason I am in this village is to ascertain her safety." she explained herself, the Captain stepping back away from his desk, already gritting his teeth in fear, "Is there something you'd like to say?"</p><p>"I didn't know." he simply told her the truth she was already well aware of.</p><p>"Oh, I know that." she admitted, "But I have a duty to things beyond looking for the Avatar." she warned him, "I am not a dishonourable friend, Captain."</p><p>"We can- we can pay for whatever medical treatments the girl requires. Would that help your highness?" he asked her, clearly nervous and unsure whether his offer would do anything to save his skin.</p><p>"I am a Princess of the Fire Nation. I have the means to do anything you could pay for, and then some." she retorted, before raising her right palm up, creating a bright torch in it, "Do you have the dignity to do this like a man, Captain?"</p><p>"A-an Agni Kai?" he gasped, and she scoffed; she was not going through the rituals for such a puny man- she was simply taking ensuring Ty Lee's honour as a skilled and capable fighter was protected.</p><p>"You're not worth that." she simply told him, before without any warning, sending her fist right into the middle of his face, the force from her charged fire bolt throwing him back onto his desk, which collapsed under his weight; the guards immediately took form around her, as the garrison looked at her with shock, not even trying to defend their superior.</p><p>As the Captain lay over his broken desk, unconscious, with his eyebrows singed off and his nose broken, she turned around to eye his subordinates, "I'm not going to bother fighting you all, so if you want to protect his dignity, my guards will give you a taste of their years of training." she warned the men around her, before she strode out of the building, not even bothering to look back at the man she had just beaten in a single punch.</p><p>When she stepped outside, she saw that two of her guards were standing before the door without their helmets on, which was a little unusual, she narrowed her eyes at them, and glanced around to note all the other guards had their helmets on, and were still in positions, having been prepared to attack Mang and his men if they had been, as she feared, part of the conspiracy to install her father as the Fire Lord.</p><p>"What is it?" she asked them, and one of them stepped forward; she recalled from seeing his face that his name was Zhuyi.</p><p>"Your highness, we have something to tell you." he admitted, "Back in Tetsuwan, we were looking around the market, standing duty to make sure no Earth Kingdom spies tried to access our ship."</p><p>"And... why haven't you mentioned this thing yet?" she asked him simply, and the guard beside him, Jing, cringed as he spoke up.</p><p>"We beat up Sokka."</p><p>"You-" she gasped, before raising a hand to her forehead, "That dimwit was there?!" she questioned them, almost shouting at them; she struggled to restrain her frustration, but she took a deep breath before uttering another word.</p><p>"We would have said something... but, they were gone by the time we knew your friend was with them." Zhuyi admitted, "We made a mistake."</p><p>"Oh, a mistake?" she scoffed, shaking her head, disappointed that they had even dared to keep such information from her, "Are you really that sympathetic to that pigheaded idiot?"</p><p>"I mean, he did save you and the Fire Lord... and all of us, really." Jing noted, and Zhuyi whacked him over the back of the head to shut him up.</p><p>"Just shut it, man."</p><p>"I-" she began, before glancing around, "No, I don't have time to chide you for your stupidity." she admitted, "We need to find where they're hiding. If they were in Tetsuwan, they must still be nearby. Was he the only one there?"</p><p>"No, the girl was with him." Zhuyi clarified, and she nodded.</p><p>"Well, they're siblings... that's not surprising." she admitted, "And I already told you all what Ty Lee looks like, so it's unlikely you missed her." she noted more quietly, contemplating exactly what their revelation meant; Ty Lee might not have gone with them to Tetsuwan- perhaps she was heading back to find her friends at the circus, given she clearly wasn't safe in Ganggu while the Intelligence Service was hunting her down.</p><p>"She might still be nearby. We have the manpower to search these woods, so we will." she decided, "Look for signs of campsites, or sky-bison fur." she gave her order, the other guards nodding, "And all of you, stand down. There's no more fighting to be done."</p><p>"You really gave him one, your highness." one of the guards who had followed her out of the building admitted.</p><p>"Oh, that was just a small example to set for the soldiers of our nation. They best learn to treat their enemies with a little dignity, otherwise, their enemies allies will come knocking for them." she admitted, before she gestured back toward the mongoose lizards, "Mount up! I don't want to waste another moment in this hole."</p><p>They couldn't waste another moment, no matter how inopportune her guards timing had been; she knew that as long as the Avatar and his friends were nearby, there was a chance she could find Ty Lee with them, and secure her, along with all the information she had, so that Ozai could never get the chance to clutch onto her and do the kinds of things that would make her truly despise him. If there was one thing Azula didn't want in the world, it was to lose somebody else that actually cared about her; she might not have been the most open and kind friend to Ty Lee, but after all the kindness and support she had shown her, and the time they had spent together, she could not bear to see her suffer, especially for the sake of things she could have prevented by being less focused on finding the Avatar and more so about the threat her father posed to the Fire Nation. Her foolishness had cost her the opportunity to protect Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee and even Zuko, no matter how much she didn't want to say it; she would right her wrongs, and make sure the Fire Nation did not fall apart because she merely couldn't find a few pieces of paper. That would be far too stupid a way for her honour and pride to be broken, and she would not allow it.</p><hr/><p>Ty Lee tensed up as she heard footsteps rushing past the door she was hiding behind; she had to remain silent if she wanted any chance of reaching the prisoners, and she did. What she heard in that silence was a little more unnerving; it turned out that Appa had been spotted by some guards, and she could hear them talking about it as they came by. Fire Nation soldiers weren't stupid, of course, so she knew that they understood the threat; the Avatar was on their rig, or at the very least, nearby. Though she wanted to warn Katara and Haru of the danger they were in. It was only a matter of time before Azula, or perhaps, somebody a lot worse than her, was called on with a messenger hawk to secure the prison rig.</p><p>Even if the earthbenders could beat the guards, it was only a matter of time before they were surrounded. She squashed the doubts she held by remembering what her new friends had done for her. Natsu had missed her husband for five years, and Haru his father; they didn't deserve that, and now, she was simply righting that wrong, no matter how dangerous it ended up being. The Avatar and his friends had helped too, and that was before they even if knew who she was; they were people she felt she could trust, given what they said about their association with Azula. Though she thought the idea of her being the Avatar's firebending master to be a little absurd, given her natural skill and dedication to her element, she almost seemed like the perfect choice, if it weren't for the fact she was a loyal Princess of the Fire Nation.</p><p>She pushed the door ajar, and glanced down the alleyway of sorts that they were standing in, between a warehouse and the walls that divided the prisoners from the working area. She couldn't see any more guards, and could only hear them in the distance. She was sure that Aang and Sokka had found the coal, or at least, were close to doing so; they had decided to wait and give them some time, and now, they had to get to the prisoners and tell them what was going on. She could tell that Haru was excited to see his father, but that excitement was mixed with the anxiousness that she too was feeling. Katara, by contrast, seemed to be rather confident, though cautious as she eyed down the wall.</p><p>"How do we cross this thing?" she asked, eyeing up its breadth, "Can we climb over?"</p><p>"I don't think that's going to be easy, even for me." Ty Lee admitted, "That's a sheer steel wall."</p><p>"Y-yeah." Katara conceded, before glancing around, "Maybe we can get around with Appa." she suggested, and Ty Lee furrowed a brow, a little unsure if that plan would work; she had no idea how they'd call on the sky-bison, and even then, the guards would probably spot Appa immediately, now that they were looking for him.</p><p>"I don't know if that's a good idea." she admitted, before glancing around, "Well, there is one way we could try and get in." she admitted, pulling a pair of keys from her belt; the most obvious option was clearly the one they had to take, no matter how dangerous it might be.</p><p>"There's going to be guards right there." Haru warned her, and she nodded.</p><p>"Yeah, I know that. But I'd rather fight them than have to try and get Appa while they'll be trying to set him on fire." she suggested, before handing Katara the keys, "Open the gates, and... uh, I guess you can tell those prisoners what's going on."</p><p>The Water Tribe girl nodded, and the group moved out at once; they couldn't waste anymore time; for all they knew, Aang and Sokka could be in danger of being found out, so the quicker they got the guards distracted, the easier it would be for them to retrieve some earth for the prisoners to use. Ty Lee's eyes narrowed down the alleyway of sorts between the wall and the warehouse, and noted what had to the be the gatehouse, where she could see a large Fire Nation insignia draping down over the wall. She eyed the gate, and couldn't see any soldiers just yet; there had to be some nearby, so as they approached, she moved to walk alongside the wall of the warehouse, using it to cover herself from any potential onlookers.</p><p>There were a few men up on the wall, but she doubted they would look down at them, given that they weren't on the side they ought to be watching; when she reached the corner of the warehouse, she glanced past cautiously, making sight of six soldiers, who were sitting by some crates, looking to be drinking some alcohol, which made some sense, given the time of day.</p><p>"Can you take them?" Haru asked her, leaning past her to eye the soldiers, and she narrowed her eyes; she probably would get burnt pretty bad at the distance they were at, especially if she went at them one at time. The most effective method would be to fight them all close quarters, and there was only one way she could imagine that working.</p><p>"Not by running into them." she admitted, "Could you please step back for a bit?" she requested, and the two of them obliged, making their way back a few strides, before Ty Lee eyed the closest door; she knew it was a bit of a stupid idea, but the door was the one thing that she could use to get their attention without immediately getting half a dozen fire streams aimed at her head.</p><p>She proceeded to kick the door open with as much force as possible, creating a loud bang as it was struck, and another as it slammed into the wall after turning on its hinges. A few moments later she heard exactly what she had expected.</p><p>"Ah, shit!" one of the soldiers exclaimed in fear, and she could hear the crates grinding against the floor as they were pushed around, the soldiers presumably rising to their feet.</p><p>"That wasn't from in there, was it?" one of them asked the others, and given that there was no response, only footsteps, she doubted they were fooled by that idea; they knew the door had been slammed, and now they were approaching.</p><p>She glanced back at Katara and Haru, and raised a hand up, gesturing for them to remain still while she stepped into the cover of the doorway; she wanted to use the advantage of surprise as much as possible, and when the soldiers stepped around the corner, they shouted at once at the two intruders.</p><p>"Stand still!" one of them demanded, "Who are you?"</p><p>"Maybe they have to do with the sky-bison, sir." one of the soldiers suggested, and Katara simply smiled.</p><p>"No, we're just here to have a look around." she lied through her teeth, though her amusement seemed to derive from her knowledge of what was about to happen.</p><p>"What? That's just stupid." one of the men retorted, clearly unamused by her response.</p><p>"No, you are." Haru retorted, before Ty Lee leapt out of the doorway, jabbing the front-most soldier in his extremities, preventing him from attacking her; without any delay, she grabbed him by the neck, holding him in a headlock while the other guards looked at them with shock.</p><p>"What the fuck!" one of them exclaimed with shock, "Attack her!" one of the soldiers demanded, and they sent their flames toward her, only to hit their comrade, who she pushed forward, making him a useful, albeit momentary shield from their attacks. She leapt to the left, kick-jumping off of the sheer steel wall before kicking another soldier in the shoulder, throwing him down to the ground.</p><p>"Grab her!" another soldier demanded as he tried to do just that; before he could grab her by the arm, she jabbed his own arm, paralysing it, before she grabbed his other arm.</p><p>As she guessed, he tried to firebend with that arm, and she took advantage of one aspect of chi-blocking in that moment; she paralysed his arm up at the shoulder, causing the flames in his hand to continue coursing for a few moments. He probably regretted his action as she twisted his arm around, the flames going right into his face, barely protected by the skull mask that firebenders usually wore; that soldier fell back, and the one she was standing on top of grabbed her by the ankle, trying to stop her from moving, but she went along with it, reaching down to his shoulder and rolling him over, inadvertently becoming her shield against the next barrage of flames that came her way. She then jabbed him in the upper back, preventing him from using his legs, before she rose back up to her feet, eyeing the three remaining soldiers.</p><p>They weren't the best fighters, it seemed, which gave her confidence she could beat the rest of them; one of the men raised both his hands up, and bent two fire streams right at her, but she ducked under them, sliding along the metal surface before she jabbed him in the gut, blocking his bending. She glanced to her left, and noticed that Haru and Katara were running past, intent on opening the gates into the prison, and Ty Lee turned her gaze to man she had just chi-block.</p><p>"Try and burn me now." she prodded him, leaning back to feign as if she was blocking another fire blast, only for him to realise he couldn't bend.</p><p>"A- she's a chi-blocker!" he exclaimed, realising her abilities, though a little too late for it to do anything.</p><p>She kicked the soldier in the shin, forcing him down to the ground, before she used his curled up body as a platform to launch herself up into the air, landing right on one of the other soldier's chests; he fell down to the ground, and grunted in pain, though her focus wasn't on beating him yet. She instead turned herself around, and used put the soldier in a headlock; before he could try and free himself, the last remaining soldier firebent at them both, and hit the soldier in the chest, preventing him from freeing himself. She pushed him forward into his comrade, before jabbing him in the back, paralysing his legs; the other soldier was dazed, watching as his comrade fell down to the ground, his legs unable to hold up the weight of his body and armour, and Ty Lee narrowed her eyes at him.</p><p>"So, what's it going to be?" she asked him, wanting to give him the choice of whether to resist on not.</p><p>"Just get it over with." he conceded defeat, raising his arms up, and she jabbed him in the gut a few times, blocking the chi-paths through his stomach and down to his legs; without those, he could neither bend, nor stand.</p><p>The final soldier slumped down to the ground as she turned around to face Katara and Haru, who were struggling to actually open the gate, which seemed to mechanised.</p><p>"What's the deal with this door?" Haru grumbled to himself, though before Ty Lee could provide a suggestion, all of their attention was drawn up to the top of the gatehouse, where some soldiers were looking down at them.</p><p>"There's intruders!" a soldier shouted out, before suddenly, somebody firebent up into the sky; her eyes widened, realising that was a signal for everyone else on the rig come to their position.</p><p>"We can't open this gate with a key." Katara concluded, "There's... well, we can't do much." she dejectedly admitted, before Ty Lee's eyes narrowed; there had to be a way to open the gates, other than somehow climbing up the walls to the gatehouse, by which point, it would just be easier to jump down to the other side.</p><p>"We need to get to Appa." Ty Lee concluded.</p><p>Haru furrowed a brow, "Unless we want to take a hostage. I don't think that will work, though." he admitted, before shaking his head, "Let's go. We don't have much time before they start cooking us."</p><p>They all dashed back down the length of the wall, running past all the men Ty Lee had already beaten, quickly making their way across the breadth of the platform, arriving at the fence surrounding the edge.</p><p>"Appa!" Katara called out quite loudly, "Come up!" she pleaded, and in the distance, she heard the faintest groan; turning around, Ty Lee saw that a couple of guards were already pursuing them, and the men on top of the walls looked poised to start shooting fireballs down at them.</p><p>"He better hurry up. I can't do much when they're at a distance!" she warned them, before she was forced to jump out of the way of a fire stream, tackling Haru to the ground to keep him out of the way; for a few moments, he awkwardly looked at her, before she climbed back up to her feet, not wanting to distract him for any longer. She grabbed him by the hand, and they stepped through the haphazard metal fence, following after Katara, who was standing by the edge of the platform, awaiting the sky-bison who they were in dire need of.</p><p>"Come on!" the Water Tribe girl pleaded, obviously worried the sky-bison wouldn't get to them in time; glancing back, the acrobat could only gulp in fear as she saw at least ten men coming for them, and that was just on ground level, with half a dozen men on the walls, ready to start lighting them up.</p><p>Some flames coursed down toward them, and Haru stood in front of Ty Lee raising arms up to try and cover her from the attack; suddenly, they were hit by a gust of air, they were thrown forward, hitting into the fence rather abruptly; though it hurt a little, and certainly disoriented her, she was more surprised to see where the wind had come from. It wasn't Aang, but Appa, who she realised, just like his owner, could airbend, and perhaps even better, given how his single attack had neutralised all the fire streams heading toward them.</p><p>"Get on!" Katara shouted and them, and without a moments hesitation, they both ran and jumped onto the flying bison's saddle; he turned around and dived to avoid another set of fire streams, which shone a bright orange, lighting them all up that colour as they flew under the flames.</p><p>Ty Lee let out a sigh of relief, appreciating the moment they spent flying around away from the soldiers, knowing that they were safe, and, now, at least had Appa to escape on if worst came to bare; she then glanced up as she saw Katara guiding the sky-bison around the walls, directing him over a wide open area between a number of longhouses, where she assumed the prisoners were housed. She could already see a few people on the platform, obviously having heard the disturbances on the other side of the walls. As the sky-bison touched down, the prsioners looked at them with interest, and Haru immediately jumped off of the saddle. She eyed him, realising that he was desperate to find his father, and was eyeing all of the prisoners.</p><p>"Dad?!" he asked out, "Where are you?" he questioned, and a few moments later, a tall, well-built middle aged man with a long white beard paced out of one of the longhouses.</p><p>"Haru?!" he gasped out with surprise, before running towards him; the two of them hugged, and Ty Lee smiled, glad that they had finally met each other again.</p><p>She climbed off of the saddle, glancing toward the gates, where she could see the guards still standing on the walls; she assumed they would be opened up so the prison guards could reach and apprehend them. It was only a matter of time before they attacked, so she knew that they had to rouse the earthbenders to fight alongside them.</p><p>"Who's this girl?" Haru's father asked his son, obviously talking about her, "Is she your wife or something?"</p><p>Haru snorted, and Ty Lee covered her face with embarrassment; she thought it was a rather funny mistake to make, though how he'd made that mistake was a little concerning.</p><p>"She's just wearing some of old mum's clothes. This is Ty Lee, my friend. She protected me from the Fire Nation." he emphasised, and Tyro nodded, his expression shifting to one of unease.</p><p>"Sorry about that." he apologised for his mistake, before eyeing toward the gatehouse, "Why did you come here?"</p><p>"Because it's the right thing to do." Haru declared, "I never had the means, but now, we can break you out."</p><p>"We?" he raised a brow, "I see two teen girls and a bunch of earthbenders with no earth. No offense, but this isn't a fight you can win."</p><p>"It's not just us." Katara admitted, "I'm Katara, and the person who owns this sky-bison, he's the Avatar. He's going to help break you out." she assured him, "All of you." she spoke up louder, talking to all the prisoners.</p><p>"This is a crazy idea. The guards are going to be furious for sure." one of the prisoners admitted, "You best leave before they capture you." he warned them, and Haru stood tall.</p><p>"No, we're not leaving. I'm not giving up on all of you." he declared defiantly, "I've learned... that relenting is what makes us weak. Strong earthbenders don't give up, despite the odds. They're taken your freedom for years... and now, we can all fight back against these monsters."</p><p>"I admire your courage, son." Tyro admitted, "But... this is a challenge I don't think we can face up. We don't have our element to bend, let alone the motivation. As much as I don't want to be here, we don't have much of a choice."</p><p>"We do have a choice." Haru spoke up, "And don't worry about the earth. Aang's got it handled."</p><p>"That's the Avatar." he noted, crossing his arms, and eyeing his fellow prisoners, "When we heard about his reemergence, it gave us a glimmer of hope... but the Fire Nation hasn't given up yet on destroying our nation."</p><p>"They will." Katara spoke up, "We know how to stop them... and I know you all can fight back. You just need to believe."</p><p>"Please, Dad." Haru asked him once more, "I know this is crazy, but we can win."</p><p>"I can." Ty Lee assured him, before she whistled, catching all the earthbenders' attention, "You might not want to fight, but trust me, these men aren't as strong as you think they are." she declared, before cracking her knuckles as she eyed the gates.</p><p>She could already hear some mechanisms running, and soon enough, the gates began to rise up, revealing a group of soldiers, along with an non-helmeted man without a helmet; his armour suggested he was an officer, presumably the warden of the prison or one of his deputies.</p><p>He pointed toward them accusingly as his men began to take form, "What is the meaning of this?! You've come to my prison, and dare to try and free these broken souls. You're fools!" he declared, before Katara and Ty Lee both stepped forward.</p><p>"You're wrong." Katara defiantly responded, "They aren't broken. They're afraid of you, but they won't be soon enough." she declared, her warning ominous, though it was more amusing for Ty Lee, given that she was was the thing that would be breaking their fears.</p><p>"You're all a bunch of savages." he declared, before eyeing the sky-bison, "And that's... oh, this is good news. It looks like these are much more important prisoners than these peasants. Where's the Avatar?"</p><p>"He'll be here soon." she simply told him, "He won't hurt you... but I'm sure these men and women will." the Water Tribe girl warned him, and Ty Lee stepped forward, placing a hand over Katara's chest to stop her from doing any brash.</p><p>"I'll deal with this." she assured her, before making a smile at the warden, "So, how do you want to lose this fight?" she asked him with a feigning giddy tone, just to put him off; she wanted to freak him out, so it would be easier to startle and beat him and his men.</p><p>"H-how- shut up, dirt-eater, I have no time for your games!"</p><p>"Dirt-eater?" she scoffed, "Is that how you treat your fellow citizens? Let alone, a noblewoman? Do you have any honour or respect?" she asked him, imitating her own mother as she spoke; she was rather temperamental with her supposed lessers treating her without the proper deference, so in jest, she imitated that, just for effect, and from the look on the warden's face, it seemed to work.</p><p>"What? You're bluffing. You're not Fire Nation."</p><p>"Uh, yeah, I am." she retorted, before clearing her throat, "My life I give to my country. With my hands I fight for Fire Lord Iroh, and his forefathers before him. With my mind I seek ways to better my country. And with my feet may our march of civilisation continue." she recited the Fire Nation's oath of allegiance, and the warden was clearly surprised.</p><p>"W-wait, this girl is..." she could hear one of the prisoners behind her gasp out with surprise.</p><p>"Kill the traitor!" the warden declared with a shout, clearly fed up with her prodding, and she shook her head.</p><p>"You might regret saying that." she admitted honestly, knowing who might punish him for saying that, and it wouldn't be her.</p><p>If Azula came knocking, then she imagined the warden would not experience the kindest fate for saying what he had. Given all of his men had just heard him say it, and being the inquisitive and nit-picky girl she was, the Princess would likely draw out those words, and act upon them. The firebenders all sent out fire streams toward her, and she somersaulted forward, dodging the attacks easily before she dashed toward the warden; perhaps, if the coal couldn't be retrieved, then she could have him as a hostage, though she didn't like the idea of having to do that.</p><p>Ty Lee didn't like hurting people, though she was willing to do it if it was necessary, and when the warden charged at her, trying to grapple her with a fire whip, she instead reached out, letting him grab her arm; he looked rather proud of his small victory as he pulled her closer, completely unaware of what she was about to do. When he reached her, he tried to grapple her by the shoulder so he could hit her in the head, but Ty Lee was too fast, and immediately jabbed his arms, leaving them paralysed; he flung his limp arms around and snarled at her with fury.</p><p>"Y-you!" he grit his teeth at her, before trying to tackle her, the acrobat sidestepping him before she eyed the rest of his men; she kicked him in his calves, forcing him down to his knees as she moved into form.</p><p>"I am not leaving here until you let these prisoners go." she warned them, and the firebenders moved to attack her, and she raised her chin up, slightly disappointed that they had decided that keeping the prisoners under their boots was more important than their own safety; a lack of self-preservation would not get them anywhere good once Sokka and Aang returned with the earth they needed.</p><p>She weaved out of the way of a few fire blasts, somersaulting before she moved to attack one of the guards; he tried to burn her with a wall of flames, but she was smart enough to use it as cover, ducking down to get out of the way of the fire blast that parted the enemy's own defence. Another soldier lunged at Ty Lee, who elbowed him in the gut, making him grunt as he lurched over. She jabbed him in the jugular, momentarily incapacitating the soldier, who given the fact he wasn't a bender, wouldn't be able to do much while he was curled up on the ground, gasping for air. She turned her eyes back to the soldier she had initially had her sights on, and moved to cartwheel out of the way of another fire blast before she jumped onto the edge of a vent that sat in the middle of the prisoner's area, before leaping back to kick him square in the chest. He was thrown to the ground, his armour protecting himself from what would have otherwise been a few broken ribs, and she stood over him, before eyeing the other soldiers.</p><p>"Come on, there's no need to be so nervous." she mocked them, "I know you want to beat me for the traitor you think I am." she prodded them, and she heard the grunts of the warden, who was struggling to return to his feet, unable to use his arms.</p><p>"Did you not hear me? Kill her!"</p><p>Before she could move back into form, she was suddenly distracted by shaking underneath her, and it caught everybody's attention; Katara stepped forward toward the vent, looking her way with confusion, "Is this it?"</p><p>"I don't know." she admitted honestly, though a few moments later, she found out what was causing it; a massive spurt of coal spewed out from the vent, and Ty Lee leapt back, afraid that the material would hit her; she watched with awe as more and more coal came out, before it all slammed down onto the deck, surrounding the vent, forming a sort of wall of material between her and the guards and everyone else.</p><p>"That's a lot of coal." she mumbled under her breath, not expecting that Aang and Sokka would get so much, and get it to them in such a spectacular fashion.</p><p>Though they had been distracted for a few moments, two guards moved to grab her arms, intent on capturing her, and she spun around, jabbing one of them in the legs with her feet, while getting the others arms with her hands. She weaved under a fire stream sent her way, before doing a back-flip, landing on the near side of the coal pile.</p><p>She turned her eyes over to Katara, who looked down at the vent with interest; a few moments later, Aang popped out, covered in coal dust, with a giddy look on his face.</p><p>"We did it!" he exclaimed, before glancing toward the Fire Nation soldiers who were moving in form to defend against whatever he sent their way, "Oh, you guys are busted now."</p><p>"The Avatar!" Tyro exclaimed, "He did come for us." he realised, perhaps having doubted what they had told him.</p><p>"Earthbenders!" the Water Tribe girl raised her fist, "Now is the time to free yourselves!", and she watched as Haru reached forward, picking up a mass of coal and creating a shield out of it to defend against the firebenders, who were moving into form.</p><p>Ty Lee then spun around, gesturing toward the warden, "You better run. I don't think they'll treat you well now they've got all that earth to bend."</p><p>He looked at her with a frustrated, furious expression, and she simply smirked back at him as he firebent, now able to use his arms to some effect; the acrobat flipped once more, jumping right over his fire stream, which was dispersed by Aang, who used his staff to deflect the attack up into the sky. Haru tossed his coal at the warden, who was thrown down the ground, groaning with pain as his men looked on with shock. It only took a few moments for the earthbenders to take form, Tyro taking the lead as he raised his hand, creating a wall of coal in front of him.</p><p>"For the Earth Kingdom! For freedom!" he made their intentions loud and clear, before they began to pelt the Fire Nation men with coal, knocking them down and forcing them to take defensive positions with fire shields and a tight formation to block their attacks. It didn't do much good against the fragments of coal, which being heavy and dense, seemed to pack it a long more punch than a bit of dirt would. Aang jumped down beside Ty Lee, and the two of them looked at each other for a moment.</p><p>"Let's show them how its done." he suggested, before he created a funnel with his hands which blew air out toward the soldiers, who were still struggling to keep form, "Katara! Toss some coal in!" he suggested, and she picked up a few pieces, tossing them into the funnel, causing the fragments to strike the soldiers, knocking them back before the earthbenders moved in, tossing parts of their defences toward the Fire Nation soldiers, which knocked most of them over.</p><p>Ty Lee glanced around, and noticed that the warden must have gotten back up off of his feet, and had decided to run, actually having taken her advice; she was a little amused by that fact, and she cracked her knuckles, before dashing toward the Fire Nation soldiers who stood in her way; she kicked one of them in the shin as he tried to hit her with his fist, making him grunt as he fell down to one knee. She dodged his comrades' attempt to hit her by stepping on his bent leg and leaping up onto one of their shoulders, and leaping down onto the ground behind them. She then continued on after the warden, who had ran out through the gates, away from her and the prisoners, obviously realising that he was going to lose the fight.</p><p>She realised from the metallic thump and cranking she could hear ahead of her that the gates were about to be shut, so she raced on after the warden, who seemed confident that the gates would fall down in front of her. She disappointed him, however, by sliding on the metal floor to duck under the lowering metal door; It shut behind her, and though she was a little concerned that the others wouldn't be able to follow, she was sure that Aang could reach the gatehouse if that was necessary. Ty Lee didn't give up her pursuit, and continued running after the warden, who was going as fast as he could; there were more men outside of the prisoner's hold, and they stood in her way, already moving to attack her as she charged after their superior. Ty Lee wasn't holding a grudge toward the man, but merely wanted to capture him, knowing that he could stop the fighting and let the earthbenders escape, with an appropriate about of coercion.</p><p>Though she had wanted to run right past the soldiers, she wasn't that lucky, and was forced to step into cover to avoid the fire streams that were sent her way. She tensed up for a moment, waiting for the fire streams to peter out before she ran back toward the soldiers, who moved to attack her with a flurry of fire blasts; Ty Lee was fast enough weave around the attacks, before somersaulting, jumping up right in front of one of them. She jabbed him square in the gut, and he grunted in pain as he stumbled back; it wasn't a chi-block, but with one of the men unable to fight, she was able to use him as a shield from their fire blasts, kicking another soldier in the side to knock him to the ground before she continued on after the warden, breaking into a full sprint. She eyed the man intently, and saw as he turned around to face her, reaching what looked like a staircase, presumably leading down to the docks from where supplies and prisoners could enter the shipyards. Before she could catch up, he was suddenly thrown to the ground by a fast moving object, and for a moment, she imagined it might have been one of the earthbenders hitting him, but the direction made little sense for that to be true.</p><p>It was Sokka, who ran up to the warden, grabbing his boomerang, which had returned to his hand after striking the warden down, "Don't you even think about it." he warned the Fire Nation man, who snarled at the Water Tribesman with fury.</p><p>"You dirty savage!" he snarled, "I'll make sure the Fire Navy destroys you all! You'll regret this."</p><p>"Eh, I don't think I will." he shrugged his shoulders, before kicking the warden back down to the ground; his eyes turned back toward Ty Lee, "Did they get the coal?"</p><p>"They did... the plan worked." she confirmed, before turning around, the two of them eyeing the soldiers who she had just run past; they obviously weren't going to give up, or at the very least, they'd try and escape before the earthbenders could seize the transport.</p><p>"Wanna knock some heads?" he asked, and she smirked, looking forward to help the earthbenders find their freedom; even if she wasn't personally invested in the Earth Kingdom's freedom like Haru and the others were, she certainly wanted them to be given the same kind of respect the Fire nation gave its own citizens, if the war truly was over.</p><p>Though she was afraid of what Azula would think of her, the voice in her head reminding her of what Haru had done for her outweighed those fears entirely; she took form, eyeing the soldiers, and decided that if she was going to fight her own people, she would give the mercy and respect she ought they though tto give their own enemies- a little lesson of sorts, and she was glad to do it alongside somebody who seemed to agree with the sentiment.</p><p>"You know what, I do."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Unravelling Strings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>With his chest heaving, Prince Zuko's eyes were forced down, averting from his father's gaze; no matter the effort he had put into his forms, there was going to be something wrong. There always was, whenever his sister was there to be compared to. Ozai's stern eyes were on him as he stepped past the Prince, who was kneeling before his father; his sister was beside him, her head facing down as well, clearly still intimidated by their father's presence, even if she wasn't the one who would receive a chiding- if she ever did, it would never compare to the lambasting her brother received for anything less than a perfectly completed set.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"There is strength behind your flames, Prince Zuko." his father began, which admittedly was a good start to his assessment; Zuko didn't dare smile, knowing that showing any kind of pleasure would itself lead to a chiding, "Your forms have improved since I last saw them, and your focus is... acceptable." he explained, his tone becoming less approving by the second, "Do you know how to keep your feet steady?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I-" he gasped, unsure what to say to that; he thought his footing was flawless, and had hadn't slipped up once while going through his set, "Did I do it wrong?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"When facing a real enemy, you will need to be firm and unyielding to any opponent, and strike them down with unrelenting fury. Your footing was that of a scout, unwilling to face his opponent directly, only moving when absolutely necessary. Too much caution, not enough energy." he acknowledged, "I know that you have the fury, that is why you need to use it."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He glanced up to his father, recalling what his cousin had told him a few years prior, something that had stuck with him since he learnt of his death; he couldn't let his rage consume him, but then, whenever his father looked at him like that, he couldn't help but wonder. If he gave in, and let all his anger out, he might be able to be as strong as his sister, if not stronger.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, Father." he accepted his recommendations, simply glad he hadn't gotten too angry; he simply seemed annoyed, which was better than usual.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Princess Azula." he addressed his sister, who knelt down beside him; her eyes turned up from the tiles below them upon being addressed, and Zuko could see the look of confidence on her lips, "You were relentless, and your forms were exceptional." he acknowledged her skill, as he always did, "I imagine you'll be moving onto your next advanced set... or are you ready for something greater?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I am ready for whatever you believe I am, Father." she gave the usual token response, and he smirked at his daughter, seeming proud of her; that made her brother feel sick in his gut, knowing that he never looked at him like that- that his own father didn't even care for his progress, or his strengths, which he knew he had.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, I'll speak with Lo and Li tonight about your next sets." Ozai explained his intentions, before placing his hands behind his back, "You moved with precision and focus, and your flames are as bright as ever." he admitted, before leaning down closer toward her, "What did you think of as you created that fire stream?" he asked, referring to the massive plume she had created at the end of her set, which the Prince assumed would be used in battle to break an enemies' line of defence totally.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The ultimate defeat of our enemies, Father. When they finally submit, and accept our superior strength. Defeat is inevitable, so I am certain in my strength." she explained herself, though Zuko couldn't tell if those words were lies; she did seem to feel rather confident in her abilities, but he doubted she really cared that much about 'finally' defeating their enemies- she spoke of the Earth Kingdom so trivially that he doubted that she could derive any real motivation from seeing an already defeated nation give up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That's what you will help us achieve, my daughter." he acknowledged, "That is what is required of us all." he added, clearly including his son in that statement as well; the Prince narrowed his eyes, wondering what he would even be allowed to do in service of their nation, given Ozai's skepticism over his abilities, "I will see you both at dinner." he concluded his comments, and turned his heels, pacing across the courtyard; he didn't look back at his children, and Zuko turned to face his sister, frustrated that she had received all the praise, once again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What?" she narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't tell me you're angry again." she grumbled under her breath, clearly annoyed by his own reaction; that further agitated Zuko, who thought she had no right to think that way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was the one who had always won, and always received the praises and accolades that he could only dream of; he wished more than anything to be respected by his father, and even if he did, he was always demanding more, demanding he become his tool. The Prince didn't want to give in to his anger and frustrations, but he found it hard not to as she looked at him dismissively.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"If you're getting angry over this, no wonder you have no control." she noted, before rising to her own feet, "Did you want to fight, is that it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." he snarled, not thinking that was a wise choice, even if he wanted to; he rose up to his feet, and began to pace toward the entrance back into the palace proper, and his sister didn't follow him; he glanced back for a moment, noting that she was looking at him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She wasn't annoyed, from what he could tell; he guessed she didn't really see him as a threat, which in and of itself angered him. He was meant to be their father's heir, and yet, she continued to upstage him and every effort he made to prove himself. The worst part about it all was that he wasn't a bad firebender; he knew it, because his tutors praised his abilities and focus when it came to his sets; for his age, he was a great firebender, they told him, and Azula was just a prodigy. Her luck was his downfall, not because she worked harder, or better understood firebending.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He clenched his fists, knowing that even if he couldn't work harder to beat his sister, he could remind her that he wasn't just a child; he might have only been fifteen, but Zuko knew how to annoy his sister, and perhaps, even scare her. She deserved it in his eyes, after all she had put him through for all those years. He could attack her in the courtyard, but that would just end up with Zuko getting his eyebrows singed off and winded by a swift kick to the gut. So, he took the alternative, pacing down the hallways of the palace toward his family's quarters; if there was one thing he could do, it would be to teach his sister what her actions meant. Perhaps she'd see that agitating her peers, or if she ended up in the army, her subordinates, could lead to.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As he approached the entrance of the quarters, the Imperial Firebenders standing duty stepped out of the way, already seeing how briskly he was walking, with his fists clenched and his head up. They didn't dare to address him, and he made his way down the narrow hallway, leading down past the windows that looked out to their garden, and to their bedrooms. He reached her door, and pulled it open with a fling of his hand, the crashing noise a little loud; he hoped that it didn't garner too much attention, preferring to be able to let out his anger in peace. Eyeing her bedroom, he took note of how perfectly clean it was, and the ordered state of her desk and bedding; he immediately stepped over to the desk, scooping up the papers on it, and tossed them to the ground, throwing paper everywhere; he whacked the jar of ink off too, splattering the black liquid all over her papers. He didn't care, and he could only suffice the smallest pleasure from her future frustrations.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Read that." he mocked her, knowing that even if she was far from the room, that she would be infuriated by what he had done; the fact that he could achieve that was enough for Zuko, and he turned his eyes to her bed, wondering what he could do to it.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zuko drew out both of his hands, lighting flames in each his palms, and moved to grab her bedsheets, his flame covered hands setting them alight as he ripped them from the bed; he threw them onto the floor, the flames going out, but leaving the fabric tarred and tattered; he raised his fist up, ready to set the whole bed on fire, before he was stopped by a shout behind him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What are you doing?!" he heard a voice behind him; turning his head around, he realised it was one of the cleaners, a female servant whose posture and face suggested she was utterly shocked by what he was doing, "Pr-Prince Zuko?" she gasped, obviously not realising that he was the Prince until he turned around.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Leave!" he shouted at the woman, not wanting her to intervene; she stepped forward in defiance.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Please, you don't destroy the Princess's room! Your father will be furious." she warned him, and he raised his chin up; he was confident enough to say he didn't care- Ozai could be angry at him, but as long as the servant didn't say a word, he wouldn't have to face the consequences.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No." he retorted, raising his flame-covered hand toward the servant, "You saw nothing." he warned her, his eyes narrowed on her; though she was clearly a lot older than himself, and simply wanted to her job and serve the royal family, she obviously was afraid of complying with his demand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"B-but the Prince-" she began, Zuko hammering his hand into the half-open door, making her shudder back in fear.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My father isn't going to do anything, because you didn't see anything." he warned her, and she stepped back, leaning up against the wall, before she nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I- I didn't." she accepted his demand, "My apologies, your highness." she bowed down toward him for a moment, her eyes darting down the hallway.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Go." he ordered her as calmly as he could, and she complied, running down the hallway in a panic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The young Prince let out a deep breath, before he turned around; he could have done more, but his anger was sated, so he drew the door shut, unwilling to risk getting caught in the act again by a less fearful servant. He paced down the hallway, heading back the way he had come, deciding that he ought to go speak with Mai, seeing that she was the only person who seemed to take his frustrations seriously. They could talk about things, and not have to worry about the other telling anyone else about their conversation; he knew she was friends with Azula as well, but she wouldn't tell her anything that was actually going to stir up any problems between them. He knew her well enough that even if she was more than capable of fighting and standing her ground, she certainly didn't want to start a conflict between others. As he made his way back toward the entrance of his family's quarters, he saw somebody he didn't expect at the end of the hall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Prince Zuko, what happened?" his uncle asked him, a concerned look on that face, "I don't think that servant was just in a rush."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It doesn't matter, Uncle." he retorted, not wanting to have to talk to his uncle and reveal his actions; he'd probably just try and make him make up with his sister, and that was something he wouldn't do while she still continued to treat him like he wasn't even worth a fight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no." the Crown Prince shook his head, stepping closer to his nephew with a concerned look on his face, "It's that time of day, isn't it?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Iroh knew about their exhibitions, and a few times, he had actually come to watch them, though Zuko was sure that the tense relationship between his father and uncle dissuaded the former from doing it again; the Prince was not unaware of the tensions between the two men, and was unamused by the fact it was similar to what he and his sister were like- he didn't want to have to continue to deal with Azula's unbridled arrogance for the rest of his life.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah." he confirmed his uncle's suspicions, before narrowing his eyes at him, "I'm going." he declared his intentions, and stepped past him, striding toward the entrance, and past the guards, who moved out of his way again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His uncle went after him, just as he guessed he would, and Zuko let out a sigh, wishing that he would just leave it be; he wanted to go speak with Mai, and maybe throw some knives with her. He knew that might improve his mood, and give him a chance to actually do something fun.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Where?" the retired general asked him, sounding a little concerned as he did so; he turned around, not wanting his uncle to think that he was going to do something dangerous.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"To Mai's house." he explained, "I told her we could hang out today." he explained to Iroh, who still looked concerned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Zuko, if you don't tell me what happened, I can't help you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I don't want your help, Uncle." he retorted, "You'll just make things worse."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Clearly confused, and unaware of what he had actually done, the Dragon of the West raised his hands up, "I just want to talk. Since when did a conversation hurt anybody?" he asked, and Zuko refused to answer, turning back around to continue on his way, "Please, don't just walk away."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Are you going to stop me?" he questioned him as he paced away, and his uncle continued to follow.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, I won't stop you, but I don't think that scaring a servant is a normal thing for you to do, Nephew."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Clenching his fists, the young Prince considered whether he should respond to his uncle, and tell him anything; he knew that he might tell Azula, and that was a big enough risk in and of itself. He knew that she would probably figure it out quickly enough, but if he told Iroh, then she'd have his word as evidence to use against him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't tell her." he demanded, and his uncle narrowed his eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Azula?" he guessed, "Tell her what?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That I destroyed her things." he admitted the truth, and his uncle's expression shifted to one of unease.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What did you break?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I burned some sheets, and destroyed her papers. I don't know what she's been writing, and I don't care." he snarled, "She doesn't care about what I think, and I don't care what she does." he declared their stances, with some confidence in thinking the feelings were mutual.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Prince Zuko... what you did, it was in rage, and it was wrong." he warned him, "Why did you think it would be okay to do something like that?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Because she needs to learn." he retorted, "She thinks I'm just as weak as he says I am!" he shouted, "They're both wrong. They'll see." he turned back around, quietening himself, knowing that he shouldn't draw too much attention from any of the guards or servants in the area.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're not weak, Prince Zuko." he admitted, placing a hand on his arm, "But you should not give into your frustrations. You should tell her what you feel, and calmly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She doesn't care. She'll never care." he turned his head around, "That's what it's always been like, Uncle."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It doesn't have to be like this." he assured him, before sighing, "Maybe we can talk about this later. I won't tell her it was you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You won't?" he asked, disbelieving of his assurance; his uncle talked to Azula quite a lot, so he doubted that he'd just lie to her like that.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not going to blame you for what you did. Violence is cathartic... and I know that from experience, Nephew. But giving into that rage isn't productive- it's literally destructive."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I- I know, Uncle." he dropped his head down, feeling ashamed for what he had just done, even if he felt righteous in the moment.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe going to see your girlfriend will help you calm down." he suggested, and Zuko's face flushed red upon hearing what he had just said; he turned away, wanting to deny what he had just referred to Mai as.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She wasn't his girlfriend, at least not yet; they were just friends, and even if he cared about her a lot, he didn't know if she really liked him in that way.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She's not my girlfriend, Uncle." he corrected him, making Iroh laugh heartily, patting his nephew on the back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, oh, sorry, Zuko, I didn't realise." he conceded his mistake, "But you know, she could be."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Urgh..." he groaned, not wanting to discuss romance with his uncle of all people, "I'm going."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Have a good time, Nephew." he waved him goodbye as he paced away; he wished that he hadn't given him that thought, as he knew it would only make things awkward when he came to see her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No thanks to you."</em>
</p><hr/><p>Upon hearing a knock on her door, Mai's first thought was one of concern; she had been thinking about whether Ozai's men would track them down to Shu Jing, and though she thought they'd have a hard time, she knew it was practically inevitable, given Ozai's resources. If they had to leave Piandao's mansion at once, she wasn't exactly prepared, though she had been considering it for quite some time; they were still in danger, even in the peaceful, isolated manor.</p><p>She turned her gaze toward the door, and a few moments later, she heard the source of the knocking, "Mai?" she heard Zuko ask out.</p><p>"Yes?" she responded in kind, unsure why he was outside her door, given she was in bed, and she would have expected him to be so as well.</p><p>"There's a letter from the Capital." he explained, and her eyes widened, realising that wasn't necessarily going to be bad news; with Iroh certainly alive and in relative safety, it was now the time, more than ever before, to act.</p><p>Rising from her bed, she pulled the blankets off, unsure how late it was; she hadn't been in bed for that long, but having to get up was a little frustrating. Given the reason, she was willing to tolerate it, and moved her hands up, fixing up her hair before she dared to open up the door and greet Zuko. She tied up her hair into its usual buns, taking each side of her hair and looping them through the bands, before moving her hand to the door-handle; twisting it, she pulled the door open and made sight of the Prince, whose own appearance was a little dishevelled, with his phoenix-tail out, leaving his long locks flowing down past his shoulders and down his back. She was a little amused by his appearance, but she kept her lips straight as she addressed him.</p><p>"What kind of letter?" she inquired on the matter he'd come to tell her about, and Zuko tilted his head down the hallway.</p><p>"From the Order of the White Lotus." he clarified, "I think it's about the conspirators."</p><p>"The spies." she recalled, remembering who Piandao had gotten information from in the past; hopefully they had fulfilled his request and actually found out some tangible information about the people who had tried to kill them.</p><p>"That's it." he nodded, before pacing on down the hallway, "Piandao's reading it in his office."</p><p>She followed after the young Prince, not wanting to just stand there awkwardly, both of them in their nightwear, tired and not exactly in the mood for talking. At least, that's how she felt; she would have preferred to just go to sleep and deal with it the next morning, but she knew how important the letter could be. It could give them what they needed to know to finally act against Ozai and make sure his plans didn't come to fruition.</p><p>The pair made their way down the hallway, and turned to step down the stairs, and she watched as the Prince moved to run his hands through his hair; instead of just having it fall down unkempt, he pulled it up into a topknot, leaving him with a long tail of hair draping down from his nape to his mid-back. He eyed back momentarily, realising that she had been watching him, and his expression faltered for a moment; perhaps he was embarrassed about his own appearance, but when she considered such an idea, all she could think of was when he was burnt, battered and bruised after nearly dying in an explosion.</p><p>She knew that they had to avoid things like that again, so as they approached Piandao's office, she considered how she ought to persuade the Prince against acting too brashly. Even if he had declared that he would not try and do anything that would put them in danger again, his motivation to help his uncle and stop his father was strong; perhaps, it would be strong enough that he would dare to lie to her face to save her the worry of thinking what absurd things he had planned. Zuko stepped through the doorway first, and cleared his throat, catching the sword-master's attention; he was sitting down by his desk, his legs folded with a candle by his side, so he could easily read the document he had in his hands. His gaze turned up to the pair, and watched as they entered the room, before placing the document down on the desk beside him.</p><p>"I hope you're not too frustrated by having been woken, but this is important, Lady Mai." he explained, and she nodded, understanding his reason for wanting her there.</p><p>"What have they said?" she asked, and he glanced back down toward the document, before sighing.</p><p>"It's not good." he admitted, "They've given me names, either of people they've seen in meetings with the Prince, or implicated into the conspiracy... this is no small plot."</p><p>"How large are we talking?" Zuko asked, stepping closer, "I knew that my father had a lot of connections in the palace, but I'm more worried about who he has on side out in the Earth Kingdom and in the Fire Navy."</p><p>"Admiral Chan has been persuaded to the Prince's side."</p><p>"He commands the Eastern Fleet." the Prince recalled, "Who else?"</p><p>"A dozen high-ranking generals and their a number of their subordinates. Our only luck is that many of them are in the Fire Lord's War Council, and not commanding troops."</p><p>"And the commanders?" he asked, referring presumably to the subordinate officers in the Fire Nation's fleets; they would be the ones patrolling the waters, and likely, would pose a threat to Iroh if he were to try and return to the homeland via ship.</p><p>"There's two dozen names here that are commanders or captains." he explained, "You might know some of them." he conceded, and he offered the Prince the piece of paper.</p><p>He scanned it, and Mai peered over, a little worried about what he might find; the Prince furrowed a brow, and his gaze turned back to his former master, "I've heard about some of these men." he admitted, "There's a few here in the Western Fleet... which means they could threaten Azula and Uncle."</p><p>"They wouldn't want to directly insubordinate the Admiral of the Western Fleet, I assume. Do you know which of those would be around Omashu?"</p><p>"The Mo Ce Sea Division is the one I'd say is the biggest threat... that's where Azula would be, if she's travelling away from Omashu now. Commanders Houken, Zhong and Kinshu are all in league with my father's plot. They'd have enough ships between them to bombard my sister's ship into shrapnel."</p><p>"What about to the south?" Mai asked him, "That's the Mo Ce Sea. Your uncle won't need to sail through there to get to the capital."</p><p>"Uh... I don't think there's any navy men on side in the Southern Sea Division... not even Zhao."</p><p>"Zhao?" she narrowed her eyes, "Who's that?"</p><p>"Only the cockiest man in the navy." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "I do remember that he liked to talk with my uncle... I think he respects him a little too much to join my father's plot. That doesn't mean he doesn't know about it, though."</p><p>"Can we be sure, Zuko?" she asked, "I mean, maybe they didn't find all the names."</p><p>"It's possible." Piandao conceded, before indicating to the scroll, "I'd be more concerned about the men in the general vicinity of Omashu."</p><p>"None of the generals are in the plot, from what this says." Zuko noted, before narrowing his eyes, "But... this Colonel Bao, he commands the Port of Shazui. That's the one where Uncle must be going to."</p><p>"But that doesn't say he'll do anything." Piandao suggested, "Perhaps he might sabotage the Fire Lord's ship to slow him down, but I doubt he'd just outright attack him. He'd have Imperial Firebenders to back him up."</p><p>"Who might be in league with Ozai." Mai warned, knowing that the guards of the palace could just have easily been in the Prince's pocket.</p><p>"That's something the letter doesn't mention." Zuko conceded, "Should we... uh, try and stop these people?"</p><p>"Right now?" Piandao asked, before shaking his head, "You don't have the means to intervene at the very moment, but there are men on this list who are within reach. There are a number of divisions that work out of ports in the Outer Islands, close to this village." he conceded, "If you could reach them and impress the conspirators to turn against Ozai, that might help your uncle before he tries to sail back to the homeland."</p><p>"We don't even need to turn them against Uncle." the Prince narrowed his eyes, "We only need to go through their letters, show their subordinates, and let them do the work for us."</p><p>"That's assuming they'll believe us." Mai warned him, "I want to stop this conspiracy as much as you do, but is that really going to work?"</p><p>"The common soldier or sailor doesn't get involved in politics." Zuko suggested, "But I've heard about what they think of my uncle, the Dragon of the West."</p><p>"The Prince is right." Piandao agreed with him, "Those common soldiers wouldn't dare to betray their Fire Lord, especially if they're given culpable evidence on the treachery of their superiors. I- well, there's a reason nobody's come to arrest me since that last time."</p><p>Mai narrowed her eyes, recalling the story that was referred to a number of times, where soldiers had come to try and impress Piandao back into the Fire Nation Army after he was discharged, "You mean Iroh made sure you'd be safe?"</p><p>"Yes." he confirmed, "He told the recruiting office of his respect for me, and requested they leave me be after the incident; they didn't dare refuse him, and I don't imagine it was just because he was Crown Prince."</p><p>"Well, I can see what you mean." Zuko conceded, "Most people don't treat me kindly because I'm a Prince. Uncle, he's had the chance to prove himself to the world, and now, he's the Fire Lord."</p><p>"Not since the first Fire Lord has there been any man respected like your uncle, Prince Zuko." he acknowledged, before placing his hands together, "I will help you reach the traitors in any way I can, but even I don't have the resources to get to them with haste. You will have to go by cargo or passenger ship to the nearest Fire Navy base."</p><p>"Well, the list does give some locations for the conspirators." Zuko noted, before narrowing his eyes, "Commander Zhong is based in the Port of Ma'inka." he noted, "That's on the Mo Ce Sea's south coast... what, probably a two day trip from here?" he guessed, and Piandao raised a finger to his chin.</p><p>"Will you go at once?" he asked, suggesting that he wanted to leave at once; Mai turned her eyes toward him, and could see the confidence in his expression- he wanted to act at once.</p><p>"I don't think we have much of a choice. If we can get some of the navy aware of the plot, they'll be able to help Uncle, and make sure he safely gets to the capital." he conceded, "And I doubt my father will have that many operatives in the area. It's just a port in the outer islands."</p><p>"We can't be too sure of that, Zuko." she warned him, "We don't even know if they are looking for us here."</p><p>"The letter doesn't mention anything about us." the Prince observed, "My father doesn't know we're here... even if he knows we're alive."</p><p>"And what if they come after us once we reveal things to Zhong's subordinates?" Mai asked him, knowing that word would likely spread quickly once they revealed things, even if it was necessary to protect Iroh from whatever treachery those Fire Navy commanders intended to enact.</p><p>"Then we'll fight them." he clenched his fist, "We'll take Zhong's ships to get to Uncle, and then, we can make sure he stops my father."</p><p>"This is a leap." she admitted, "You've never commanded a ship, let alone tried anything like this."</p><p>"Do you think I can't do it?"</p><p>"We can try, but you remember what happened back in the Capital, Zuko. You nearly died."</p><p>"And you saved my life." he argued, and she raised a fist toward him, now frustrated by his stubbornness; even though she wanted to get things done as much as he did, she was more than a little worried about his reckless behaviour and intentions to open the box that could never be closed again- once Ozai was outed as a traitor, the civil war they had been worrying about wouldn't just be a theoretical, it would be their reality.</p><p>"Do you think I can just save you again? That was just luck, Zuko." she argued, reminding him of how things had actually turned out, "If you'd been a little slower, that explosion would have killed you, or knocked you out, so those assassins could have killed you before I got there." she explained the most likely result if he had reacted differently in that situation where he'd almost lost his life.</p><p>"We won't get tricked again." he declared, "I won't let them hurt us." he raised his chin up, "I promise."</p><p>"A promise won't mean much if we get thrown in jail... or worse." she raised moved her finger closer to his face, "Are you really that eager to fight? I thought you had some rationality."</p><p>"Lady Mai, there's no need to argue." Piandao spoke up, raising his hands up toward both of them, "Prince Zuko, you ought to take her words seriously. There is great danger in what you propose, even if I think you're right; you need to act to protect your uncle, and stop anything worse from happening."</p><p>"I do." he nodded, before looking down, his expression faltering, "I'm... urgh, I just want to do something."</p><p>"We will." she assured him, "But I'd prefer if we had an actual plan, instead of just hopping on a boat to go out some conspirator who may or may not be at that port." she argued, "Do you think we should rely on luck to stop them?"</p><p>"No." he shook his head, glancing toward the window, "The one thing that got me anywhere... before we left the Capital, it was hiding my strength. I didn't confront my father, or try to get into actual fights." he conceded, "And I don't want to do that now either. But we need to find a way to get rid of these people."</p><p>"You say that like you want them dead." she deduced from his phrasing, and the Prince's eyes narrowed.</p><p>"What says they deserve our mercy, after what Ozai did to us?"</p><p>"They aren't Ozai." she warned him, "Piandao, do you think the conspirators can be reasoned with?"</p><p>"I don't know. Some might be more invested than we can assume. It might not just be ideals and bribes... maybe they have personal reasons to want Iroh gone." he gave his own opinion, "I don't believe that violence should be the first answer to your questions. It should be an option when the enemy does not give in to reason."</p><p>"And do you think Uncle tried to reason with his assassins?" Zuko suggested, and both Piandao and Mai looked at each other, the sword-master's eyes narrowed in thought; perhaps he didn't like the false equivalency, or maybe, he genuinely believed that the Fire Lord might have even tried to talk it out with the men who tried to kill him.</p><p>"These conspirators might not all want your uncle dead. Their aims are not clear, other than desiring Ozai's leadership to... enact his vision of the Fire Nation."</p><p>"And if that vision leads to countless people suffering for no reason... why should we respect them?" the Prince asked, and the sword-master let out a sigh.</p><p>"Perhaps you shouldn't respect them. I certainly don't like anyone who believes in that world, but I don't think they deserve to die or suffer needlessly, if they can be stopped in other ways."</p><p>"Struggle is the only thing our nation knows, Master." Zuko admitted, "If there's one language that these men will understand, it's violence. I don't want to kill anyone, but I don't think they'll listen to me without my flames or blades, if they really believe that we should be destroying the other nations totally."</p><p>"There's another option, Zuko." Mai placed a hand on his shoulder, and he narrowed his eyes.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Trickery. What's to say the 'plan' can't change?" she suggested, and the Prince narrowed his eyes.</p><p>"I don't know if I'm that good at acting."</p><p>"Silent and violent still works." she joked, and he held back a laugh.</p><p>"She does raise a good point, Prince Zuko. If you could feign being members of the conspiracy, perhaps Ozai's own agents, perhaps these conspirators could believe that you are one of them, and reveal their plans without any struggle... or even persuade them to stop plans that could threaten your uncle." Piandao spoke up, agreeing with Mai's own idea, and she let out a small smirk.</p><p>"And what happens when we know all there is to know about your father's plot, Zuko?" she asked the Prince, who sighed, before smiling back at her.</p><p>"We'll reveal it all, and my father will never be the Fire Lord."</p><hr/><p>The Fire Lord was not a man who wanted to waste his time, even if he could appreciate a little leisure time; that was why he had rode west toward the coast as soon as he received a message from his niece, indicating that Zuko and Mai were safe, though Ozai had purportedly tried to have them killed, which she had discovered from a coded message. He knew at once that with Zuko out of harm's way, he could act at once, and hoped that his niece reached her friend with haste, and retrieved whatever knowledge she had that would give Iroh the justification he needed to arrest his brother.</p><p>He had tried to dissuade the concerns of the Imperial Firebenders who were accompanying him, telling them that they were simply returning to capital, and not to go do anything drastic. Obviously, they were concerned about his safety, given what had been happening over the past few weeks, and he was sure that the worst had passed. Sanyan was dead, and his men captured; even if they didn't give up the information he would have hoped, the fact they were in custody made him feel more comfortable as he rode on a komodo rhino toward the port where he was told his personal guard had been staying at ever since he had gone missing. Much of them, like himself, had been hurt badly in the fighting, and some might have still been recovering. Iroh knew, however, that he would need their help when he returned to the capital, as he had no idea how many men his brother had ready to attack him.</p><p>He didn't think travelling back with half a dozen guards would be the wisest choice of action, because he had no idea who was in league with his brother. If they got attacked again at sea, he'd need as many men as possible to help protect the vessel; getting shipwrecked again would be a terrible outcome, given the delays it would cause, and he was going to avoid it all costs. He had already had a ship brought to the port as he was travelling west, the local Navy commander more than willing to provide some assistance, and now, he could already see a few ships in port. He realised that he was going to be provided an escort, which seemed like it could help against any potential attackers, though it was perhaps more of a danger when so many mens' lives were in danger because of his brother's conspiracy.</p><p>Iroh's eyes were on the fort that he and his entourage of guards were approaching, assuming that was where the garrison commander would be waiting, along with the rest of his guards. As he and his men drew nearer, the men who were stationed by the gates moved out of the way, standing in formation as he rode his komodo rhino all the way to the gates, his guards flanking him on either side. A few moments later, the gates were opened up, and the men knelt down in respect of their Fire Lord, who rode his komodo rhino into the walled outpost, where he could see a number of buildings, most prominently a large keep that had a tower reaching up at least four stories, looking out over the bay. He rode his komodo rhino toward the centre of the base's grounds, where he raised his hand, indicating for his subordinates to dismount.</p><p>"Your majesty, would you like us to check the ships?" one of the Imperial Firebenders, the appointed commander of the unit, asked him, and the Fire Lord shook his head.</p><p>"Not yet." he decided, "I would like to speak with the local commander, and with the rest of my guards." he explained, and the guard nodded.</p><p>"Of course, your majesty." he accepted his plan, and he moved to dismount his steed, alongside his comrades.</p><p>Iroh did the same, landing down on his own two feet, before he brushed his robes down with his hands; he was wearing some simple armour that was a substitute for the usual royal armour that he would wear when out in the field, given that his set had sunk to the bottom of the sea along with the rest of his ship. He glanced up toward the keep of the base, and noted that somebody was already standing by the doors; his attire indicated that he was a ranking officer, and his expression was calm and serious, as would be expected when facing his Fire Lord. Iroh slowly strode toward him, his guards moving closely beside him as he did so, and the Fire Lord wondered what news he might have to hear when he spoke with the commander. Given he'd only been travelling for three days, he doubted there was much news to be heard, but given the circumstances concerning the Avatar, he knew that things could be changing any day.</p><p>The officer made a low bow as the Fire Lord reached him, and as he returned to meet his gaze, he seemed to tense up, "Your majesty." he addressed him, "It is an honour to see you at my base... though, the circumstances could have been better."</p><p>"That's what I was thinking." he agreed, "But, I am not going to let past frustrations get in the way of my work today. Where are my guards?"</p><p>"Awaiting your command, as requested." he acknowledged Iroh's earlier message, which he had sent to the base shortly after Azula's departure; he was given some details on the condition of his men, and was assured that they could accompany him when he returned back to the homeland, "Some are still recovering from their injuries, but I am sure that most will be able to fulfil their duties to you."</p><p>"That's all I can ask for." he nodded, before glancing past him, "Might I ask... where is the commander of the ships that have come to take me and my men home?"</p><p>"Commander Kinshu is on his flagship, your majesty." the officer clarified, "He expressed his desire to speak with you about the threats you have faced." he added, and Iroh raised his left hand to stroke his beard.</p><p>"As he should. He and his ships will be taking us home, and I doubt whoever hired those assassins is going to stop just yet." he admitted, and officer shaking his head.</p><p>"I can't believe it, sir." he voiced his opinion, "Those men were Fire Nation. Traitors to their own Fire Lord." he acknowledged the fact of the matter; even though Ozai had wanted to disguise them as Earth Kingdom renegades, given their attire, their firebending and the abilities of their leader indicated their heritage clearly enough to himself and the men he fought alongside.</p><p>"It is not the first time a Fire Lord has faced assassination attempts." he conceded, "And it probably won't be the last time. I would like to speak with Commander Kinshu at once."</p><p>"Of course." the officer nodded, "Would you like me to call on your guards at once?"</p><p>"Certainly." he nodded, trying to smile to cover his unease; Iroh was not one to be afraid in the face of danger, but the fact was that he knew little about who was involved with his brother's plans.</p><p>More assassins were going to come for him before he reached the capital, and he knew that there was ample time for him to be attacked on the trip back; the question he was posed with at present was where that attack would come from. Hired thugs and master-assassins like Sanyan were one thing, but Fire Nation officers, sailors, and soldiers were another. They didn't need disguises or made-up reasons for being near him to act against him; he was surrounded at all times, especially when out in the Earth Kingdom, by soldiers, and it was only a matter of time before one of Ozai's supporters tried their shot at regicide, whether personally or through their unwitting subordinates.</p><p>The officer walked over toward a barracks located just adjacent to the keep of the base, and he pulled the doors open, before calling inside; given the distance, Iroh couldn't hear what he had said, but he could see a few moments later that his guards were inside, stepping out of the door with bags slung over their shoulders, all of them wearing their armour. Some of them were still injured, and had bandages over the various parts of their bodies, one of the men even having a bandage over his head, forced to keep his helmet off, and under his arm instead. They all looked happy to see their superior, and the leader of his guards, Captain Zhushou, approached the Fire Lord and knelt down in front of him, an expected act of respect toward his monarch.</p><p>"Your majesty, it is a blessing to see you in good health." he acknowledged, before turning his head up to face him, "I... I am sorry we could not protect you."</p><p>"It was not your decision, Captain." he conceded, patting him on the shoulder, knowing the burden he had to bear in protecting all their men from Sanyan, "I was the target, and I had to draw them away. It was not right for you all to die when there was a chance of escape." he admitted, and Zhushou nodded.</p><p>"I understand." he simply gave his approval, though his tone suggested he was still worried; rightfully so, given their circumstances- they would have all heard about what happened at that war-camp, and perhaps they were wondering who would try and attack him next.</p><p>"There is something I need to speak with you about, Captain." he admitted, "But now is not the right time, or place for that." he added, knowing that the officer who was standing nearby could have been one of Ozai's supporters; there was no way of knowing short of interrogation, and that would just be a waste of time, especially if he was innocent.</p><p>"Do you know more about the danger you face, your majesty?" he asked his Fire Lord, and he grimaced, knowing that he really hadn't learned anything new, other than Zuko and Mai's safety- those two were the ones who had warned him, and what they had told him was all he really knew.</p><p>"No." he told him the truth, even if Zhushou or any of his guards, for that matter, didn't know a thing about Ozai's plot, "Are the men ready to leave?"</p><p>"We have been waiting ever since your letter arrived." he clarified, before rising to his feet, waving to his comrades, "It's time to go!" he declared their intentions, and Iroh turned his heels, facing the officer who had greeted him.</p><p>"We are going now. I will leave the komodo rhinos here at your base. I'm sure you could use the extra steeds for something." he explained, and the officer bowed toward him.</p><p>"I wish you the best of luck, your majesty." he acknowledged his departure, and with that, Iroh strode back toward his komodo rhino, picking up the saddle-bag and slinging it over his shoulder; it didn't have too much in it, just the bare essentials of food, tea, water and sleeping gear that he had required for his trip.</p><p>He turned to face the guards Azula had provided him with, "Take your things. We're going to the ship." he ordered them, and they all nodded, picking their own bags off of their steeds; he momentarily eyed the officer who he'd just spoken with, and noted that his expression was deathly blank- perhaps he just didn't want to show emotions in front of his Fire Lord, but that didn't make it not weird.</p><p>He turned around and carried his saddle-bag toward the gates of the base, as he did so, he could see men in side stopping their work or chatter, and moving to salute their Fire Lord. Admittedly, he was used to the praise and respect, given he received similar treatment as General, though he was honestly quite frustrated that he couldn't have a down-to-earth conversation with anyone other than his friends in the White Lotus, or his niece and nephew, who both weren't the best conversationalists, though he certainly enjoyed talking with them. He knew that they could use his advice, and they seemed to appreciate it when it did hit the mark; he was looking forward to seeing his nephew once again, after they'd dealt with the Ozai situation.</p><p>He'd obviously dealt with some ordeals since he left the capital, if what Azula had learnt from that message was an accurate reflection of the situation; the message could have disguised or not mentioned other things that could have put Zuko and Mai in danger, and though Iroh understood their reasoning for only telling the basic, necessary information, he would have preferred to have known where they were and how they were faring. It was his fault, in the end, for not acting on Zuko's revelations before he left for Omashu, where he could have confronted his brother, and ended his plans before they got them all in danger; once again, Iroh had found himself regretting his own inaction and confidence, just like he had after Ba Sing Se. He was arrogant enough to believe his brother would only dare attack him in an Agni Kai, or a dramatic coup attempt, which wouldn't have been as concerning and frustrating as having his personal ship sunk and forced to flee through the Earth Kingdom wilderness.</p><p>The Fire Lord clenched a fist as he strode out of the gates, silently chiding himself, knowing that his lack of action could have had fatal consequences for his nephew and niece. Both of them wanted to protect him, and gotten themselves in reckless danger because of it. His eyes turned to the pier as he approached it, eyeing the numerous ships lined up against it in port, with a number of the vessels opened by the bow, dropping off supplies down on the pier. He assumed that they were destined for Omashu, to help feed and supply the besieging forces; Iroh's eyes narrowed, recalling that he would need to order the siege off as soon as he returned to the capital. He didn't have the logistical apparatus afforded to him by the War Council, and if he tried to call it off without the required planning, it would probably only lead to further frustrations within the army, which wouldn't help him retain their support against his brother, if things ended up as badly as he imagined they could.</p><p>Eyeing the crates that sat in front of him, he realised he didn't know which ship he'd need to go to speak with Commander Kinshu; he assumed that the largest of the ships, which was docked by the end of the pier, would be the one he'd need to reach. As the Fire Lord made his way toward the unloaded cargo, his guards moved into a tighter formation; even if they were carrying their bags and rather unprepared for a fight, at least in terms of planning, they were clearly in the mindset for one. He eyed behind him, and saw them marching in formation, and they didn't seem to be anywhere near as calm as he'd expect them to be, given that they were in friendly territory, about to board a ship. Perhaps their time without him had given them the chance to consider the possible sources of the assassins, and maybe they'd even figured out what was actually going on; he certainly preferred if the conspiracy wasn't common knowledge, given it would force Ozai to accelerate whatever plans he had.</p><p>He could only imagine what he had intended next, and as he strode up that pier, he wondered if his brother was actually worried about him; not in the sense he was concerned for his safety, but rather concerned for his own. Ozai hadn't tried to earn his ire, at least not until he sent some men to kill him; he obviously understood that an Agni Kai could only go one way, as much as Iroh would prefer that it didn't occur at all. There was no way avoiding it, and he accepted what had to be done, for the sake of his nation, above whatever feelings of guilt he had toward taking the life of his treacherous brother. The Dragon of the West was not a coward, as much as he detested needless conflict and death; he was a soldier by training and a monarch by blood, and those two things gave him both the experience and teachings to guide him to solving the crisis at his hands.</p><p>"Your majesty." Captain Zhushou spoke up, and Iroh stopped himself, turning around to eye his subordinate, hearing unease in his voice.</p><p>"What is it, Captain?"</p><p>"I don't mean to alarm you, but we're surrounded by crates of... blasting jelly." he explained, and the Fire Lord's eyes widened, realising that couldn't be a coincidence; his eyes immediately darted up toward the decks of the ships that surrounded the pier on all sides, and he noted that the men on board were looking his way, though for which reason, he couldn't be sure of.</p><p>If it wasn't a coincidence, then there was somebody giving the order to place down all those crates in an attempt to kill him; Iroh, however, was not worried about the blasting jelly, but rather the implications of it. His eyes darted up to the largest ship at the pier, and noted that there was an officer standing by its bow, flanked by his own guards- Commander Kinshu, obviously.</p><p>He raised his hand up, not wanting his men to travel any further along the deck, "Men, halt!" he ordered them, before turning to face Zhushou, "Captain, withdraw back down the pier." he ordered him, before narrowing his eyes, "I'm going to go have a conversation with Commander Kinshu."</p><p>"But, your majesty, we're here to protect you." one of his guards spoke up, clearly understanding the danger they were all in.</p><p>"Oh, I don't need protecting." he assured him, before stepping further along the pier, past the boxes of blasting jelly, before he stopped his pacing right in the middle of them; he eyed up to the neighbouring ships, and narrowed his eyes, knowing that somebody would need to spark the blasting jelly to try and kill him.</p><p>He could see a spark cord travelling up one of the lowered bows, and turned to face said ship; whoever was trying to actually kill him, no matter if Kinshu was the one orchestrating it, was going to be right up there. He glanced back up toward who he assumed to be Commander Kinshu, and pursed his lips, realising that whatever plan was in place was about to fall through entirely. A tragic accident would not go down in history, and Iroh stepped closer to the bow of the ship, ready to race up it at once and make sure of that; the only thing he wanted the day to be remembered for was when the Dragon of the West stepped up and once again proved his worth. He doubted the explosion would be large enough to destroy the surrounding ships, even if it would be a fiery blast, given the number of crates around him; he heard a low, but audible crackling noise, and without a moment to waste, he raced up the bow of the ship, surprising the men onboard. He further garnered the attention of onlookers as he dropped his hands down, aiming two fire streams toward the ground as he channelled his bending into all four of his limbs, shooting himself up into the air and speeding up his climbing of the bow as he tried to get as far away from the explosion as possible. When it finally happened, he raised his arms up, creating a wall of flames out of the explosion to redirect the heat away from himself and everyone on the deck of the ship as he landed on his own two feet. The sound of the blast was near deafening, and his ears were ringing afterwards, making him shake his head as he tried to reorient himself and find the source of the spark cord. He could see where it had been set off, but he couldn't see anyone standing there, to his frustrations; everyone was standing, shocked as they cowered from the explosion.</p><p>"By the spirits!" he heard someone shout out, before a few sailors ran up to him.</p><p>"Your majesty, are you alright?" one of them asked him, and Iroh's gaze continued to eye along the deck, trying to find the one man who couldn't have been looking at the flames, because he was prepared for it. There was one man he could already see, walking along the deck toward the bridge of the ship, and Iroh stepped past the sailors, parting them as he eyed the sailor who was trying to get away.</p><p>"Stop!" he shouted out, "I know you're behind it!" he declared his knowledge, pointing toward the sailor, who turned around, clearly fearing for his life; instead of trying to face the Fire Lord, or even respond, the sailor raced toward the railing of the ship, jumping up onto it with a single leap before he dived into the water below.</p><p>Now, people's attention had turned to the sailor, and they were clearly confused by what had just happened; a man raced toward him, presumably the captain of the vessel, and he was looking in the direction the man had jumped, "Wh-what... what just happened, your majesty? Why did you shout at Lieutenant Hibana?" he asked, and Iroh could only clench his fist and point toward the inferno the explosion had created; he and his guards needed to get past it if they were going to reach Kinshu before the Commander decided anything brash.</p><p>"I want every man here dousing that fire, right now!" he ordered, and the officer nodded, before he paced toward the bow.</p><p>"You heard the Fire Lord! We have to put out that fire!"</p><p>The Dragon of the West strode forward, reaching the lowered bow, where he could see the massive fire in all its magnitude; he reached his right hand forward, moving into a form that he had learnt many years ago. He bent not the flames in front of him, but the very heat, and drew it through his body and out his left hand, up into the sky. Though he could only channel it slowly, given the heat of the flames, it slowly did its work, Iroh watching as the sailors moved to bend the flames apart, trying their best to disperse them. He could feel the heat of the flames weakening, and when he felt confident enough, he moved out of form, and paced down the bow, thrusting his arms in front of him before forcefully ripping the flames apart, creating a clear path through them onto the pier. He turned his gaze over toward his guards, who had dropped their bags and helped disperse the flames, before they paced up toward their Fire Lord, stamping out the fire around him, before taking defensive positions.</p><p>"Your majesty, we won't let the traitors touch you!" one of the Imperial Firebenders assured him; Iroh nodded, not uttering a word, his eyes turning back up the pier toward the flagship.</p><p>"What do we do now, sir?" Captain Zhushou asked him, and he pointed to Kinshu's vessel.</p><p>"Don't let that ship leave port." he gave his single command, and then he began to pace toward it; quickly enough he broke into running, the Fire Lord a little bit more confident in his stamina than he had been when he was first shipwrecked- all the fighting and walking he'd had to do did his body wonders.</p><p>He almost laughed at the thought that his brother's attempts to kill him had only given him the perfect circumstances to hone his firebending and improve his physique, though what was more amusing was the fact that Kinshu was still standing there. Perhaps he had accepted his failure, or more frustratingly, he might have truly been innocent; he doubted that, knowing that he was the only one who could have ordered them to put all those crates of blasting jelly down. As he ran towards the Commander's ship, suddenly the man shouted at his guards, obviously afraid of his own safety, and suddenly, a wall of flames appeared by the bow of the ship. That was nothing to the Dragon of the West, who charged a fire blast in his palms, before shooting it into the wall, dispersing it instantly, causing the flames to splatter all over the deck of the ship as he climbed onto the bow.</p><p>Iroh immediately moved into form, pointing himself in the direction of Kinshu, who was trying to run to the bridge of his ship, "Stop!" he ordered him, "Don't move another muscle!" he demanded, and the Commander halted at once, the Fire Lord letting out a deep breath, realising that the sprint, no matter how useful in reaching the ship quickly, had exhausted him.</p><p>The Commander's guards looked at their superior, seeming unsure as to why any of it was even happening; the sailors on the ship seemed to agreed, all of them aghast with their eyes on the Fire Lord. The Dragon of the West did not falter, and reconsider his intentions as he strode toward Commander Kinshu.</p><p>"Commander Kinshu, I want you to tell your men exactly what you just did." he pointed at him, and the man looked his way with utter fear.</p><p>"P-please, be merciful, your majesty." he begged, and the Fire Lord narrowed his eyes.</p><p>"Grab him!" he shouted at the Commander's guards, and they didn't dare disobey their Fire Lord; Iroh wasn't even that angry- he just wanted to finish the game of lies and charades he'd been participating in ever since he read Mai's letter.</p><p>The guards grabbed their superior, and dragged him toward the Fire Lord, his legs going limp, perhaps in fear, "Please!" he pleaded, and the Fire Lord sighed, raising a hand to his cheek.</p><p>"Tell them what you did." he requested as calmly as he could, and Kinshu's eyes widened; he glanced at his guards, realising that there was no way out of the situation he'd created.</p><p>"Y-y-your majesty, I don't know-" he began to stammer, and Iroh let out a deep breath.</p><p>"I have been forced to run through the wilderness, fight off assassins, protect my niece from fiends, and come back to this port with no great peace for our nation." he explained his situation, before pointing at Kinshu, "The least you could do for me would be to tell the truth. Why did those explosives go off?"</p><p>"To- to..." he began, before his eyes turned up to face the Fire Lord's, "Please, don't kill me."</p><p>"I'm not killing you." he warned him, "But I will not let your actions go unpunished, Commander."</p><p>"Did he..." one of the guards turned to face his superior, "Did you have something to do with that, sir?"</p><p>The Commander sighed, before dejectedly giving his answer, "Yes."</p><p>"And who ordered you do to that?" the Fire Lord asked.</p><p>"No one." he admitted, "I was merely following my duties."</p><p>"It is no man's duty to kill his Fire Lord." he admitted, before stepping closer to him, "Unless, you don't believe I ought to be Fire Lord." he dared to suggest, making the Commander tense up.</p><p>"Y-you... you know, don't you?"</p><p>"Of course. I am not a man who is uninformed on current events, even those that are meant to be hidden from me." he explained rather confidently, wanting to scare Kinshu into spilling the truth in front of all the sailors on the ship, "So please, for the good of our nation, tell your men why you did what you did?"</p><p>"Because- because you're not worthy." he dared to proclaim his beliefs, "That's it. I said it." he grit his teeth, "Now, would you just get it over with?"</p><p>"No." he refused, "I already told you, I'm not here to kill you. You are not here to make a fool of me, Commander." he warned him, "I don't care if you think I shouldn't be Fire Lord, but I think they ought to hear who provided you with your opinion."</p><p>"I won't say it." he refused, and Iroh let out a sigh, not wanting to have to do anything brash to the man in front of him; it would be pointless violence, for the mere achievement of having him speak.</p><p>"Fine." he accepted his stubbornness, and turned around, "There is something you all need to hear." he explained to the sailors, and to his own guards, who had climbed aboard after him, "My brother, Prince Ozai, has committed treason. He has conspired against my life, and against the life of his own son, Prince Zuko." he explained the fact of the matter; everyone's eyes widened, and their eyes all turned toward the Commander.</p><p>Iroh pointed at him, wanting him to answer now that he had dared to utter the truth, "Is this a falsehood?"</p><p>Kinshu looked at him frantically, before Iroh narrowed his eyes at him, "Is it?!" he shouted, and the Commander raised his chin up, holding his tongue.</p><p>Spinning his fingers around, the Dragon of the West charged his chi, and eyed the man as he did so, before he grasped his collar with his left hand, letting loose a lightning bolt with his right hand, shooting it into the sky above them; his guards stepped back out of fear, letting go of Kinshu, who Iroh kept a hold of.</p><p>"Was that a lie, Commander?" he asked him calmly, knowing he would have to give up at some point.</p><p>"It isn't!" he screamed out, closing his eyes as he held his arms up against his chest, "Please, don't kill me!"</p><p>"I want you to say it." he demanded, and the Commander fell to his knees as his Fire Lord stood above him, "Say it." he reiterated his command, and the Commander's head drooped down.</p><p>"Prince Ozai wants to kill the Fire Lord, and I tried to help him do it." he uttered the truth, before his eyes turned up to the Fire Lord, "But... you made a mistake, your majesty."</p><p>"No, I don't think I did." he retorted, knowing that with the truth out, he could finally go after his brother, with the full support of those who professed their loyalty to him.</p><p>"That wasn't the only blasting jelly." he clarified, and Iroh's eyes widened, realising he should have demanded Kinshu come off the ship before he started interrogating him.</p><p>"Run!" he frantically shouted at his men, before he dashed toward the side of the ship; Iroh wasn't the best swimmer, but he could do it, and that was preferable to dying.</p><p>He raised his hands up, creating a wall of flames behind him as he jumped from the deck of the ship, feeling the deck of the ship vibrate violently as another deafening explosion went off behind him. The searing heat blasted his back as he fell down toward the water, gritting his teeth in pain as he dropped down into the water, his feet suddenly twisting as he struck the surface. His body was suddenly enveloped, and Iroh closed his eyes, suddenly surrounded by pitch black, he could feel the heat from the explosion above him dissipate as he was surrounded by water on all sides, and for a moment, he could feel at peace, despite the pain inflicted upon his body. He opened his eyes, and looked up toward the orange coloured sky above him, not so because of a sunset, but because of the flames of an explosion.</p><p>He had work to do, and it seemed that he could not be afforded rest, not yet; as long as Ozai bore breath, he would be a threat to the Fire Lord's life. His mother, though she had been dead for decades now, arrived in his mind as he considered what he was about to do; she had died far too young, and hadn't been able to guide his brother as she had been able to do him. It wasn't fair, and now, he couldn't help but curse at the spirits; they had given him and his family the worst luck, and twisted them into monsters. The only beacons of hope he could see were his nephew and niece, so as he pushed back toward the water's surface, he knew that they were what he was fighting for. Their future and the Fire Nation's were one, and he wouldn't let Ozai steal them.</p><hr/><p>Smokestacks rising from the port town of Tetsuwan was not what Azula wanted to be seeing when she rode over a hillside to witness them; after spending a whole night scouring the woods, and finding only a middle-aged woman, she was more than a little frustrated. Her hostage, named Natsu, was unforthcoming with information, and she understood well enough why; Azula had immediately revealed her identity, and the woman, being an Earth Kingdom peasant, was unwilling to tell her much. She did tell her that Ty Lee was safe, and that the Fire Nation had been hunting her down; she didn't believe her when she told her that she wasn't like the Intelligence Service, who had been fooled into going after Ty Lee. She didn't know what was going on in the port, but she had a good feeling it had to do with whatever Aang, his friends and Ty Lee had all gone off to do.</p><p>"Now, would be a good time to tell me what they're doing." she gestured to the port-town, "I know you know what's going on." she warned her, "I don't want to have to keep you captive for any longer than is necessary."</p><p>"I'm not telling you." she retorted, wiggling slightly to try and move out of her binds; she was sitting on the saddle of the mongoose lizard behind her, and was unable to do anything but sit as the Princess took her back to her ship.</p><p>"Your highness." one of her guards addressed her, "Perhaps we should scout ahead before you enter the town. Obviously, there must be some fighting going on." the guard suggested, and she raised her chin up.</p><p>"No." she refused, "We're going down into the town, no matter what. This probably has something to do with the Avatar, so I'm sure we'll be able to find out where Ty Lee is, if Natsu here doesn't tell us."</p><p>"I have to keep them safe." she spoke up, and the Princess rolled her eyes.</p><p>"I'm here to try and keep my friend safe... and you're stopping me from doing that." she argued her case once more, "I don't think you understand how well I know Ty Lee."</p><p>She turned her head away, refusing to speak, and Azula snarled, still just wishing she'd tell her what she knew; without anything from the hostage, she'd be riding into Tetsuwan with no knowledge of what was actually going on. </p><p>She whipped the reins of her mongoose lizard, and turned her head slightly to command her guards, "Move on inǃ" she ordered them, and they followed her lizard as it began to speedily make its way down the slope, following the road down into the town.</p><p>In the span of a single day, it seemed everything had been turned on its head, and she now just wished Jing and Zhuyi had actually apprehended Sokka back when they found him in the market, instead of letting him go; at least then she could have found where Ty Lee was before she helped the Avatar with whatever chaos-stirring he had just done. She would have preferred if her friend did not wilfully assist the Avatar, at least while she was formally still pursuing him as an enemy of their nation, even if her uncle had said otherwise.</p><p>"There's some reason why you're not telling me." she deduced, addressing Natsu as they approached the outskirts of the town, "It can't be Ty Lee. You must have only known her for a week or two at most." she guessed, before narrowing her eyes, "So, who's with her that you're so worried about?"</p><p>"My son." she admitted, making the Princess furrow a brow; that didn't help her much, other than giving some reasoning to Natsu's refusal to explain anything.</p><p>"Well, would your son have anything to do with the fact this town is on fire?" she asked, and the Earth Kingdom woman raised her chin up, seeming almost confident.</p><p>"I hope he does... because that means that I'll be free soon enough." she admitted, and the Princess scoffed.</p><p>"You think some random boy can beat me?" she asked, and Natsu turned her eyes away.</p><p>"No." she refuted her suggestion, "But that doesn't mean he can't help me."</p><p>"Whatever you say." she shrugged her shoulders, before turning her gaze back toward the road as she continued on moving into the town, "Perhaps I ought to keep you away from the fighting... seeing that you may still be of use to me." she conceded, before raising her hand, "Haltǃ" she ordered her guards, before indicating to Natsu.</p><p>"One of you take her off and find some garden or hovel to wait in. The rest of us will investigate whatever's going on in the town-centre." she explained, one of her guards riding up to her mongoose lizard, before jumping off to pick Natsu off of the saddle, seeing that she could stand herself, with her legs bound; he took her onto his own saddle, before nodding at his superior.</p><p>"It will be done, your highness." he accepted her order formally, before mounting his mongoose lizard, she glanced back at the rest of her guards, before raising her hand down the street.</p><p>"Let's moveǃ" she commanded them, and with that, whipped her steed's reins, prodding it into pacing on down the street; its speed was unmatched on land, and she actually had to pull on its reins to make sure it didn't run into any carts or pedestrians; the latter seemed to be lacking, especially as she approached the source of the smokestacks, which she realised was around the town's barracks.</p><p>She could feel the ground shaking beneath her, and the distance thumping and crashes of rocks hitting the ground or buildings; it was obviously earthbenders, either soldiers or rebels, and she knew that they would have to be dealt with before she could reach her ship. She would be doing Major Zhengyi a favour by stopping the attackers, and even though she'd prefer to avoid a fight, given that she was tired, having only got a meagre few hours sleep before she began her ride back toward her ship. When she got to the walls of the barracks, she made sight of a few of the town's garrison troops, who seemed greatly relieved to see her arriving.</p><p>"It's the Princessǃ" one of them called out, gesturing toward her, catching more eyes her way; she rode up toward them, and noted their injuries and frantic glances down the street.</p><p>"What's going on here?" she asked, and one of the guards indicated the way they had been moving from.</p><p>"A prison breakǃ" he exclaimed, "Earthbenders have come here, and they're wanting blood." he warned, the Princess sighing with frustration, recalling that there was a prison rig nearby; putting two and two together, she assumed that Aang had gone there, and probably helped free the prisoners, or at least, incited a revolt.</p><p>Given that her uncle wanted to make peace with the Earth Kingdom, and presumably, would have freed imprisoned earthbenders anyway, such a revolt seemed like a waste of time and needless bloodshed. Of course, revolting was quicker than waiting for her uncle's decrees to come into effect, but she couldn't help but be annoyed by it. It was getting in her way, and now that Ty Lee was obviously involved, it was making her attempts to clear her name all the more challenging.</p><p>"Let me handle this." she simply told the guards, knowing that if they were already injured, she might as well take over and hold off the earthbenders; she was admittedly a little excited, given that she had never actually fought an earthbender before, but that made it dangerous as well.</p><p>She moved on down the street, raising her hand up, and indicating ahead of her, telling her guards by that motion to be ready for attack; she filled her right palm with flames, and as she continued on down, she waited for whatever would come next. She heard a rock crash down around the corner, and a moment later, a few more guards ran past the corner, one of them carrying an unconscious comrade.</p><p>"Get behindǃ" she commanded the guards, and they heeded her words, and as soon as they were clear of her path, she sent out a fire stream from her right hand, the charged flames making it all the more powerful as it explosively ripped into the cobblestone of the street, and the shouts she could hear indicated that she had scared whoever was about to come after those guards.</p><p>Once she had finished with her warning attack, she whipped the reins of the mongoose lizard, prodding it into racing down the street, right toward where she knew the earthbenders would be waiting; when she reached the corner, she felt the street move beneath her, and the ground ripped up, causing her steed to slow somewhat, though its agility meant it was able to climb over the ripped apart street, and give her a clear shot on the earthbenders, who were clearly intimidated when they saw her.</p><p>"Yieldǃ" she demanded of them as she readied her right hand, and they remained in form, getting ready to hit her with the cobbles they had ripped out of the street.</p><p>Before they could even attack her, she sent out another fire stream, pummelling them down to the ground with the force of the flames, which she splattered across the street, nearly setting the neighbouring buildings on fire as she moved her hand around to assure she hit down each of the enemy. Once they were down, she turned around, and noted her guards were still following after her, and had too readied themselves to attack the earthbenders.</p><p>Instead of letting them send half a dozen fire streams at the already shocked men and presumably immolate them, she waved her hand, indicating that they hold their flames back, "Let them run. If we scare enough of them into retreating, they won't be able to take the town." she argued her logic, before, as a warning, she shot a fire blast right at the feet of one of the earthbenders, who stumbled back and landed on his bottom from the sudden attack.</p><p>One of them tried in defiance of her mercy to attack them with cobbles, but found his arm grappled by one of her guard's fire whips; before he could reorient himself, she shot a small bolt of flames with her fingers, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious, which seemed to scare the other earthbenders enough. They moved to run back, and left the entrance of the barracks open to her, allowing Azula and her guards to ride on over; she glanced inside, and noted that there was a lot of damage to the structures, and a few unconscious guards about, having been beaten by the escapees already.</p><p>She dismounted her steed, and paced on inside the gates, knowing she ought to assist the Major and his men directly, before she even thought about making a path to her ship, or trying to figure out where Ty Lee was situated in the present mess. She glanced around the grounds, trying to make out where the earthbenders had gone, and she noticed that there were some smoke coming out of the messenger hawk coop. She whistled to her guards, indicating for them to follow as she raced across the barracks open grounds toward the coop, knowing that the earthbenders would be there, presumably trying to stop the local garrison from sending a message to request support.</p><p>When she made her way past one of the halls that lined the grounds, she made sight of the coop, which was practically destroyed, its birds either gone, or perching on the nearby buildings, with a few rocks having smashed up the windows and bird cages, with dottings of embers around the rest of the structure. In front of her stood a few earthbenders, some of them men, and some women, all of them a lot older than herself, and clearly, victorious in their fight against the garrison troops, who were lying on the ground, either unconscious or cowering.</p><p>"Who is that?" one of the earthbenders asked, clearly a little concerned by the Princess's sudden arrival; not being recognised hit a nerve, and she covered her hands with flames, ready to fight them if need be.</p><p>"Please, step away from the soldiers. I'd prefer if you didn't destroy anything else." she spoke frankly to them, though her stance might have said something else, "You haven't taken the Major, have you?"</p><p>"The-" one of them glanced around, "Does she mean that annoying guy with the moustache?" one of them asked the other, and Azula snapped a finger at the earthbender.</p><p>"That'd be him." she confirmed, before she glanced behind her, seeing her guards ready to fight alongside her, "Leave these barracks, and I won't attack you." she gave them a simple offer, knowing that getting them out of the way would make it easier for her to recover the Major, and after that, find Ty Lee.</p><p>The earthbenders instead pulled out rock from the ground beneath them, creating a shield of earth; the Princess rolled her eyes, surprised that they were as stubborn as she'd been told they were. She was imagining the stereotypes were just made up to defame the people of the other nations, but now she realised there was some precedent to a few of them. She shot out a fire stream from her left foot, propelling herself up into the air for a moment, allowing her to spin her right leg around, creating a narrow, sharp arc of flames, which cut right above the wall of earth to strike the earthbenders. She landed back on her own two feet, and then charged flames in both of her hands; with the heat gathering, she spun her hands around, and then shot out a combined fire stream, which blasted through the wall of earth.</p><p>She smirked at the faltering of her opponents, and strode forward to ensure that they were downed so she could move on to find the Major; suddenly, however, she felt both of her feet immobilised, and she eyed down to see earth covering them. She grit her teeth, and gathered her chi at her soles, ready to blast herself out; glancing back up, she realised the earthbenders were taking form, ready to ensnare her completely, but that never eventuated, as her guards began pummelling them with fire blasts, which were distracting enough to allow Azula to quickly free herself, blasting her earthen shackles off before she charged at the earthbenders.</p><p>Most of them were a whole lot taller and stronger than her physically, but that didn't mean her advantage of speed could not be utilised. She weaved around them as they tried to take bricks and fragments of earth to strike her. She spun her feet around, and shot short, but focused fire bolts at their footing, causing them become unbalanced, and quickly falter to her guards fire blasts; once they were all on the defensive, she simply ran past them, moving down through the barracks in search of Zhengyi.</p><p>She had no idea where exactly the Major would be, but she listened out for shouting, and she could faintly make out somebody by the rear of the barracks; turning around to approach the main building of the complex, she noted that the shouting was coming from inside, and Azula decided to push through one of the rear doors, making her way inside. She found herself in a hallway, reminding her of when she was there the day prior, and she ran down it, moving toward the voices.</p><p>"You savages!" she heard Zhengyi shout out, and after that, the sound of a fist hitting something, presumably the Major's face.</p><p>She reached an open area of the building, presumably a meeting hall, where she could see the Major, held up by a pair of earthbenders, while there was a few people interrogating him.</p><p>"Tell us where your men are hiding." one of them demanded, and Azula whistled, catching the attention of the earthbenders; they turned around, and seemed confused by her presence, "Who are you?"</p><p>Zhengyi could only laugh, "Oh, you're screwed now!" he warned them, and Azula gestured to them.</p><p>"Let go of the Major." she demanded, "I'd like if he didn't get beaten to death on my watch."</p><p>"And why should we do that?" one of the earthbenders quipped back at her, "This bastard's half the reason we were in that prison."</p><p>She narrowed her eyes, sure that they wouldn't back down easy, "I don't even care if you occupy this town, but I'd prefer if the Fire Nation forces here could be evacuated." she explained her thoughts on the matter, before gesturing toward the one who had been beating Zhengyi, "So, please, just let the Major go."</p><p>Suddenly, she heard the sound of a nearby door being pushed open, "Stop!" she heard an all too familiar voice shout out to her, and Azula turned around, barely recognising the person it came from.</p><p>Ty Lee was dressed in the attire of an Earth Kingdom peasant, and she seemed more than a little exasperated as she stood at the door, flanked by a few prisoners and a similarly dressed Earth Kingdom boy.</p><p>"Well, that was easier than I thought it'd be." she smirked, "How are you, Ty Lee?"</p><p>"Uh... okay." she awkwardly admitted, "Guys, don't attack her. This is my friend." she pleaded to the earthbenders, whose forms weakened.</p><p>"Since when were you friends with Earth Kingdom prisoners, Ty Lee?" she asked her a rather straight-forward question, given who she was standing beside.</p><p>"Since some guys tried to kill me... and Haru saved me." she explained, indicating to the boy beside her.</p><p>"That was the Intelligence Service." she clarified, "I solved that problem for you." she assured her, and her friend's expression shifted to one of unease.</p><p>"You didn't kill them, did you?"</p><p>"Well, seeing that they were not in league with my father, I did not." she admitted, before glancing back toward Zhengyi, "Let go of the Major." she demanded, now with a little more backing to enforce her words; the earthbenders glanced toward Ty Lee and the others, and one of the men standing beside her stepped forward.</p><p>"Just do it." the man requested, and they did so, dropping the Major, who slumped down onto the floor, clearly pained and exhausted from whatever fighting he'd been doing.</p><p>"Now," Azula spoke up, "I'll call off my guards and the garrison, and perhaps we can solve this conflict diplomatically." she explained, the earthbenders looking amongst themselves.</p><p>"And why should we believe you?"</p><p>"Because she's Princess Azula." Ty Lee clarified, making all of the earthbenders uneasily glance toward the Princess.</p><p>"That's- that's your friend?" Haru asked her, clearly a little worried about that revelation; obviously she hadn't properly explained her relationship with the Princess, even if had been mentioned- perhaps her friend knew she would be coming to help her.</p><p>"I am." she confirmed, before stepping toward and past them all, and out the doors, "Guards!" she called out, "Stand down!" she ordered, and a few moments later, her men stepped out into the main courtyard of the barracks, and did just that.</p><p>They moved to approach her, and though clearly a little concerned about the earthbenders who were surrounding the Princess; once they were standing in form, Azula turned around to face her friend, and made a small smile, "Now, you and I can get out of here." she explained, Ty Lee blinking a few times.</p><p>"Are we going to go find Mai and Zuko?" she asked, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"Not yet." she conceded, "I have to make sure the Fire Navy doesn't capture the Avatar before he reaches the North Pole."</p><p>"So, are you really going to train him?" she asked; obviously, she'd been speaking with Aang and his friends, so she would have heard about her plans, or rather, her uncle's plans.</p><p>"I can't refuse Uncle." she admitted the truth, before eyeing up and down her body, "Where's documents?"</p><p>"I have them." she confirmed, and the Princess let herself smile.</p><p>"That's good to hear." she acknowledged, before suddenly, her field of view was filled by a massive wall of flames, which forced her back off her feet; she struck the ground, raising her hands to protect her head, as she forced her eyes shut, almost blinded by the searingly hot flames.</p><p>She heard a few shouts and grunts, and then and cry, distinctively from Ty Lee; Azula opened her eyes up, and glanced around, seeing embers all around her, and her friend lying on the ground beside her. She looked up to see one of her guards, holding a few pieces of paper in his hand, before he set them alight, quickly incinerating them.</p><p>She tensed up, realising what had just happened, and the Princess immediately thrust her foot up, blasting the guard in the chest and throwing him to the ground; she turned her eyes to Ty Lee for a moment, noting that she had been knocked unconscious by a fire blast to the head, and Azula checked her pulse at once, assured that she was definitely still alive. One of her other guards offered her a hand, and she flicked it away, pulling herself up to her feet as she eyed the man who had just attacked her.</p><p>"What in the name of the spirits just happened?" one of the earthbenders asked her, and Azula narrowed her eyes at the traitor, who had taken form, realising that the rest of the guards were ready to pounce on him.</p><p>"You- just like Lo and Li." she narrowed her eyes, before she spun her hands around; she did not have any time for mercy, nor questions.</p><p>The guard didn't even try to defend himself, simply raising his hand to salute, "Long live the Fire Nation." he declared as she let a lightning bolt loose out of her right hand, striking him in the chest and throwing him some distance across the courtyard; his body crumpled over on the ground, and the rest of her guards looked toward him, not uttering a word about what she had just done to her comrade.</p><p>Ty Lee let out a groan, and Azula turned to face her friend, before eyeing the Earth Kingdom boy who was kneeling beside her.</p><p>"Are you going to take her to a healer?" he asked, and Azula scooped her friend up into her arms, glancing towards the earthbenders before she let out a sigh.</p><p>"She's the only reason I'm here." she simply told him, before narrowing her eyes, "Follow me, I know where your mother is." she explained, Haru's expression shifting to one of concern.</p><p>"W-wait, did you capture her?" he asked, and a man stood up beside him, with a large bushy beard and bald head, gesturing toward the Princess with a fearful glare.</p><p>"Excuse me, you're saying you took my wife captive?" he asked her, clearly alarmed and agitated by the idea; she realised that he was Haru's father, and Natsu's husband, and she raised a hand up, not wanting to start a fight over her actions.</p><p>"I needed to find out where Ty Lee was." she explained her reasoning, "So, come with me, and you can be reunited... seeing that you've been in prison." she acknowledged the fact of the matter, before glancing down at Ty Lee, remembering that she needed to get her to the infirmary.</p><p>She then pointed to mongoose lizards, "Let's go!" she shouted at her guards, and they moved in formation around her as she moved back in the direction of the mongoose lizards.</p><p>Princess Azula did not want to have to fight any more that morning; she only wanted to take her friend to her ship, and forget any of that had just happened. Her one chance to prove her father a traitor had been ripped from her just before she had the chance to seize it, and it was by the hands of one of her own guards. He had been in Ozai's pocket, perhaps the entire time, and she hadn't even figured it out; she had vetted all the people on her ship from when the letter from Mai and Zuko had passed through, but that guard had been one who had been with her that entire time. He had served a single purpose; he could have tried to poison her uncle, or just outright assassinate him, but he didn't even take that chance. He had only come to take away that one bit of information she could have used against her father, and it made her feel like a fool.</p><p>"I won't let that happen again." she declared, looking down at her unconscious friend; she couldn't fail again, not after what had just happened.</p><p>"I promise."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. A Shrouded Path</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Commander Zhao was admittedly a little nervous to be standing in front of a member of the Royal Family; though he had gone to make his request to Fire Lord Azulon considering the North Pole, that was a rather formal affair where he had been snubbed by the most powerful man in the world. Being face to face with Prince Ozai was a whole different affair, because it wasn't Zhao who had sought out the Prince, but the other way around. They were just outside of the War Council chamber, where the Commander was going to partake in a meeting for the first time. He was looking forward to doing so, given he wanted to prove his knowledge and give his insights into naval strategies, his area of expertise; what he hadn't been expecting was the one of the sons of the Fire Lord to speak with him directly.</em>
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  <em>"So, could you tell me, Commander, what exactly you think made you worthy of sitting in that chamber?" he asked him rather calmly; he wasn't speaking in a tone that suggested he thought he was unworthy, so he decided that he would tell the Prince exactly what he thought.</em>
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  <em>"I wiped out a flotilla of Earth Kingdom ships that had been raiding our convoy routes in the Southern Sea." he explained what feat he had achieved to be worthy of his present position, "That is why I was promoted to the rank of Commander, and invited here."</em>
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  <em>"That is what I heard." Ozai crossed his arms, before eyeing the chamber, "But what makes a man worthy of sitting in that chamber, Commander?"</em>
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  <em>"Valor and skill in battle?" he gave his own idea, and the Prince raised his chin up, seeming to disagree.</em>
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  <em>"Their tenacity to do what is necessary for their country." he gave his opinion, "Do you think you have the commitment to our mission that is required of you?" he asked him, and the Commander nodded; the mission Fire Lord Sozin had set out for their nation was a clear one, and every officer in the Fire Nation's military was well aware of it- it was part of their oath, after all.</em>
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  <em>"I do, your highness." he assured him, and the Prince let out a chuckle.</em>
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  <em>"Does everyone have that commitment?" he questioned him, and the Commander eyed the nearby door, and imagined who was sitting inside.</em>
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  <em>"In there, every man knows his place, and what we must achieve." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "Did you mean to say some don't agree with our mission?" he asked, and the Prince narrowed his eyes.</em>
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  <em>"Well, what do you think, Commander?" he simply asked him, giving him the opportunity to mull over what he knew about the men who sat on the Fire Lord's War Council.</em>
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  <em>"There are differing views on how we ought to deal with our enemies. How swift and resolute we should be, if we should give mercy, how we should treat rebellion and discordance among the lesser nations." he listed off things he knew there was more than one opinion of, before narrowing his eyes, "Some of those opinions might stand in the way of our war effort."</em>
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  <em>"That is exactly what I believe." he admitted, the Commander tensing up; he didn't directly infer who held those opinions, but Ozai's questioning was leading in a certain direction, "I believe there is a need for a change in leadership on these matters."</em>
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  <em>He was trying to tell him that he believed that some of the people on the War Council stood in the way of their efforts to defeat the other nations and finally end the hundred years of war their nation had struggled through; Zhao was good enough at deducing that he couldn't be referring to any ordinary officers, given that he could simply tell his father, the Fire Lord, that he believed their plans to be inefficient or impeding their goals. There was only one person he could be referring to, and the Admiral couldn't imagine him standing down from the War Council- the Crown Prince himself. Of course, he might be referring to his own father, the Fire Lord as well, but that seemed unlikely, given speaking such words, even indirectly, was tantamount to treason.</em>
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  <em>"So, will you help me, Commander?" he asked him simply, "I know you have aspirations far greater than commanding a section of the Southern Fleet." he argued, and Zhao narrowed his eyes; it was rather clear that he was trying to bribe him, and Zhao couldn't help but feel a tinge of unease at the suggestion.</em>
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  <em>He wanted to achieve his great victory over the Northern Water Tribe, for which he'd be remembered for generations to come; history books would laud him Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the Moonslayer. For nearly fifteen years, that was all he had wanted to achieve, and though it had been a challenge to receive the promotions he needed, he was well on his way to becoming an Admiral. Ozai was offering to help him on that path, and he was tempted to accept his offer.</em>
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  <em>"I have yet to achieve a great enough victory to earn my campaign in the north." he admitted the truth of the matter, "I may be able to help ensure our nation is lead by the right man." he admitted, giving the Prince the answer he wanted without explicitly saying anything treasonous.</em>
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  <em>Ozai narrowed his eyes at him, "Well, I am surprised by your humility, Commander. You have just been promoted. I would imagine your aspirations are at the centre of your mind."</em>
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  <em>"They are always." he assured him, before he narrowed his eyes, "I know that I must wait my turn, and I will do everything to prove I am worthy of it."</em>
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  <em>The Prince nodded, before eyeing the door of the war chamber, "I am glad to hear we agree on things." he admitted, before stepping closer to the Imperial Firebenders, waving his hand up to be allowed into the room; Zhao followed after him, and grimaced slightly, realising that he had fooled the Prince.</em>
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  <em>Ozai believed that the Commander thought he was the man right to rule their nation, however in actuality, the man who he though was truly worthy was the very one that the Prince was threatening. The glorious victory he had attained over the Earth Kingdom was incomparable in history. He was the great conqueror of the unconquerable city; to stand against him wouldn't just be treason, it would be a dishonour of that man's great victory, and his great loss. The Dragon of the West had gained their nation their great victory at the cost of his own son's life, and even though Zhao wasn't that sentimental a man, he could admire the tenacity and willpower it took to continue on after a tragedy like that.</em>
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  <em>The Prince wanted to be Fire Lord, there was no doubt about that, but the Commander was a man who ran on the principle that he had been reminded of throughout his career; the strong and capable would rule and they would be victorious. The Prince, despite his charisma and clear aspirations, similar to Zhao himself, he was no great leader, and had yet to prove himself in any notable way; the Dragon of the West was the one man who could finally lead their nation out of the Hundred Year's War, and he was more than worthy of the title he was to receive.</em>
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  <em>Once he had entered the War Chamber, he eyed up and down the table, looking at the men who was sitting ready, waiting for the meeting to begin; he wondered which of those men the Prince had also spoken to, and offered his 'assistance' to. It was an unnerving possibility, that the most powerful men in their nation could be turning against the one man they ought not to; Zhao valued loyalty, and he was loyal to his Fire Lord, and to his nation.</em>
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  <em>Not every man could say his loyalty was to his nation above all else; some might be more concerned about the security of their rank and their retirement package. The Commander, however, didn't think like that; he wanted to be remembered, and he wanted to have achieved something by the time he was as old as some of the grumpy old fools he was about to sit with. He did not need riches, or a long career- he needed glory, and that glory was only going to come about when their nation was strong, united, and able to act against the threats that faced it. A strong nation came from loyal, hard-working men, and he hoped that he could count himself amongst that rank.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He sat down by the end of the table, seeing that he was new and less-experienced than the rest of the men on the table when it came to strategising; though he didn't think he was bad at it, many of them had decades of experience on their side, and though some of them were similar in age to him, even they had come to the War Chamber numerous times before the present session. He watched as the Fire Lord toward one of the officers, and spoke with his cold, sharp commanding tone; despite his age, Fire Lord Azulon was one of the most intimidating individuals he'd laid his eyes upon, and it was not from any outward strength, it was merely from the way in which he carried himself. He knew he was better, wiser and more attuned than them, and he acted like it.</em>
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  <em>"General Tiechi, your report on the Earth Kingdom holdouts in the south." the Fire Lord acknowledged what was to be discussed at the meeting.</em>
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  <em>"Your majesty." said general addressed his monarch as he rose to his feet, "There are a number of towns and cities still under Earth Kingdom rule, or at least, they claim to be. These forces lack outside support, due to the naval blockade of any remaining ports outside our occupation." he explained, "The Southern Campaign has been a resounding success so far, with a thousands of Earth Kingdom soldiers captured by our forces... but it has gone on for almost a year now, and we have yet to defeat the defenders of the largest town in the region, Gaoling. According to scouts in the area, the enemy has over five thousand soldiers protecting the town and its environs, and all attempts to enter the area have failed due to obstacles created by their earthbenders. That is what the front-line commanders seek assistance in solving."</em>
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  <em>"Thank you, General." the Fire Lord accepted his report, gesturing for him to sit down, which he did at once; Azulon turned his gaze towards the men on the table, and eyed his elder son, "Prince Iroh, do you have any judgements on what ought to be done with Gaoling?"</em>
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  <em>The retired general raised a hand to his goatee and stroked it in thought, before nodding, "I do, Father." he confirmed, before he eyed down the table, looking at the officers who he would have to persuade to his own plan, "I propose we force the defenders to surrender by cutting off their supplies lines. Even if earthbending is formidable to any soldier, a starving man will be far less willing to fight our soldiers, and perhaps, they'll be willing to surrender." he argued, and the Fire Lord nodded, seeming to approve of his son's plan.</em>
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  <em>"Yes, I agree. Cutting off the enemy's supply is the only way that they will surrender." he admitted, before scratching at his chin, "But there must be a faster way to deal with them."</em>
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  <em>"Perhaps some overwhelming force will suffice, your majesty." General Bujing spoke up, giving his own opinion; Zhao recognised the old man, given his long career in the army and notable list of crushing victories against the Earth Kingdom, though he had retired more than a decade prior, so Zhao had had little chance to interact with him until the very meeting he sat in.</em>
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  <em>"Tell the table what you propose." Azulon accepted his indirect request to speak, and the General rose up to his feet.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The Earth Kingdom's soldiers are foolhardy, and they will not surrender easily." he argued, "Waiting for them to starve will work... but this campaign has gone on for to long. Our men need a victory to boost their morale, and the enemy needs to be reminded of what we think of their resistance. I believe it would be best to send two divisions toward the centre of Gaoling, and to crush the enemy forces there."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I agree with the General." Prince Ozai spoke up, "We need to act decisively against the Earth Kingdom forces in Gaoling. If their resistance continues, it could inspire rebellion in other parts of the country."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then, what ought to be done?" the Fire Lord asked the table, "There is a clear need to end these rebellious fiends."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"War Minister Qin has shown some of his latest weapons to me." the Prince clarified, pursing his lips confidently, "We now have vehicles capable of covering rough and challenging terrain, the kind that these earthbenders would be creating to endanger our soldiers. He calls it the Tundra Tank." he explained, earning some interested glances from the officers on the table.</em>
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  <em>"And when will these vehicles be ready, Prince Ozai?" Bujing inquired, the Prince stroking his goatee before eyeing up to his father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They are already being constructed in factories just outside the capital. We only need to have them sent over to the Earth Kingdom." he explained, and the Fire Lord raised his hands to his chin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, my son, I believe those new vehicles might assist our forces. Who shall be nominated to lead the assault on Gaoling?" he asked, and Bujing raised his hand.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I call for General Heizi. He is an adept at fighting against the Earth Kingdom, and he partook in the Siege of Ba Sing Se with the Crown Prince." he explained, "I believe he is presently commanding the twenty-third division at this time."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They are located right by the southern flank of the front line." another general observed, indicating to the massive map that lay before them on the table, "That makes them well suited to partake in General Bujing's proposed pincer attack."</em>
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  <em>"I accept your recommendations." the Fire Lord spoke up, "General Heizi will command this assault on Gaoling, which will commence as soon as these Tundra Tanks have been delivered to his division."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Zhao glanced toward Prince Ozai, and noticed the cocky smirk on his face; he obviously was glad his own ideas had been accepted, and that was over what General Iroh had proposed. The Commander did not know which plan would be more effective; it was clear that the Dragon of the West did not want to waste lives in a campaign that would inevitably lead to a Fire Nation victory, but that did not mean he was right, or that the table agreed with him. Zhao did not know exactly what Prince Ozai wanted to do, but he was sure of one thing: he wanted to be Fire Lord, and he wouldn't just be asking men like Zhao to help him; he would need every man would shirked at the thought of letting the enemy merely wither away. He wanted to take their desire to destroy the Earth Kingdom and make it his casus belli against his brother, whose apparent cautiousness made him seem less favourable for those in the military who wanted to crush their enemies totally. Zhao did not care for how the enemy was destroyed, in the end; he knew the Fire Nation was superior to the other nations, the most self-evident fact in the world, and that fact alone assured him that their path was one leading to victory, no matter how many savages their soldiers killed.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>The first thing Ty Lee felt when she awoke was an aching pain on her head, and she immediately drew her hand up to touch where she felt the pain, only to realise it was bandaged; her eyes darted around the room she found herself in, noting it was dark and gloomy, reminding her of a prison cell. She tensed up for a moment, wondering if Ozai's goons had actually caught up to her, but then recalled her last memories, before she had fallen asleep.</p><p>Though she had stayed up practically all night helping the earthbenders escape from the prison and return to the mainland, it had all become a blur, ending with her fuzzy memories of being helped by Azula after some kind of explosion. Haru was there too, she recalled, but she didn't imagine he was anywhere nearby, given that she was probably on the Princess' ship. She smiled, realising that she finally found Azula, or perhaps more accurately, Azula had found her; the Princess must have been searching for her, given that she was right in Tetsuwan as the earthbenders had been liberating the town.</p><p>She rose up from the bed, another memory coming to her; Natsu had been taken prisoner, though she couldn't recall why, and she vaguely remembered her saying goodbye to her, and though she had been dazed at the time, she had hugged her. Ty Lee didn't forget her hugs, of all things. She glanced around the room, noticing that there was a tray sitting on the table beside her bed, with an empty tea cup and what looked like some fresh bandages; perhaps she was supposed to redress the bandage on her head, though she was unsure if that was the case.</p><p>She decided to get out of the bed, and noted as she pulled the blanket away that she was still in Earth Kingdom clothes, or more specifically, Natsu's clothes. She noted that the outer part of the robes had been taken off, though she was unsure if they were dispensed of because of burns, or simply because she had been taken to bed. She noted that there was another bandage, this one wrapped around her torso, and when she touched it, she realised that she had gotten burned there.</p><p>She cringed as she tried to get up, realising the burn she had received was worse than her prior ones back at the circus. There were a few burns from the prison break as well, but that seemed so distant in her mind; she wondered where the Avatar and his friends had gone, and if they were just as worried about Ozai as she was. Pulling herself off the bed, she glanced around, looking for the boots she had been wearing; they were sitting right by the door, so she had to stumble across the cold metal floor barefoot. She cringed from the coldness, and quickly made her way to the door, slipping her feet into the shoes.</p><p>Ty Lee grabbed the door handle, pulling it down before she pushed the door open; glancing down the hallway, she noted that it was empty and quite dark, with only some light emanating out of one of its ends. She decided to walk in that direction, making her way to the corner of the hallway, which turned to another hallway, at the end of which was an open door, leading out onto the deck of the ship. She strode toward the door, raising her hand up to block out the starkly bright sky, before stepping out of it.</p><p>The wind whipped into her face, and she shook her untied hair around to get it out of her eyes; she could smell the salt of the water spraying up onto the deck, and she heard the sound of the engine rumbling behind her. Ty Lee glanced around the deck, wondering where her friend would be, and decided to climb up the staircase that led up to what looked like a platform where Azula would sit, though the Princess clearly wasn't there at the time. Making her way up, she turned to her left, glancing toward the bow of the ship, where she took note of how magnificently adorned it was; behind her sat the pagoda superstructure, which reminded her much more of a temple that something that ought to be on a ship.</p><p>She noted that behind the platform was a door into the ship, which might allow her to reach the bridge, where she guessed the Princess might be, if she wasn't otherwise getting breakfast, given the time of the day. The sun was still low in the sky, though it took her a few moments of reorientation to realise that the sun was not in the east but the west; she had slept all day, it seemed, though that didn't tell her where Azula would be.</p><p>"Where are you?" she mumbled under her breath, before stepping over to the door, pulling it open; glancing inside, she took note of the winding staircase that would lead up to the bridge, and she decided to call up it, seeing that she hadn't run into any sailors or guards yet.</p><p>"Is anybody there?" she called out, and she heard a whistle from what seemed like below her; glancing down she noted that there were more stairs leading below the pagoda, presumably back from where she had just come.</p><p>She saw a guard pacing up the stairs, seeming a little confused why she was standing there, "Uh, Lady Ty Lee." he addressed her rather formally, "Why are you out of your bed?" he asked, and she glanced around.</p><p>"I want to find Azula." she simply gave her aims to him, "Could you help with that?"</p><p>"The Princess is in her room." he explained, before glancing down the stairs, "I'll take you to her. She'll want to speak with you." he conceded, and she nodded, before pacing on after the guard as he made his way down the stairs into the hull of the ship.</p><p>Making her way after him, she followed him down another hallway, leading her to a door that didn't look any different from any of the others she had seen, before he knocked on it. There was a few moments of silence, and Ty Lee narrowed her eyes, realising he might be able to answer a question she had.</p><p>"What happened after that explosion?" she asked, and the guard turned to face her, his posture tensing up at once.</p><p>"She killed one of the guards." he explained, making her blink a few times, utterly confused why Azula would have done that.</p><p>"Wh-why?" she gasped out, before the door was opened; her friend was standing right in front of her, dressed properly, unlike herself, and clearly not seeming in the best mood.</p><p>"Because he destroyed your documents." she answered her question, before turning her eyes to the guard, "Get the servants to bring us some tea and rice." she ordered the guard, who bowed slightly before turning around, accepting her command without another word.</p><p>She gestured into her room, in which Ty Lee noticed had a table in it for them to sit at, "Come in." she told her, and she didn't refuse, pacing over to said table as the Princess shut the door behind her, before joining her as she sat down.</p><p>"Did you get the food for me?" she asked, and Azula raised her chin up, before nodding; she smiled at her friend, glad she was thoughtful enough to get her something without having to even ask for it, "Thanks, Zula."</p><p>"It's my fault you're hurt." she acknowledged, her eyes turning to the small windows that looked outside, giving them a narrow view of the horizon, "If I had just properly vetted my guards, then I could have stopped something like that from happening."</p><p>"I don't..." she mumbled, unsure as to what had even transpired, "Can you explain it to me?"</p><p>The Princess let out a sigh, placing her hands down on the table in front of her, grabbing her right with her left, "I came to that port looking for you." she explained, before narrowing her eyes, "My stupid guards didn't decide to inform me that they ran into Sokka at the market until that night." she explained, shaking her head with a clearly frustrated look, "If they had just told me at the time, I could have intercepted the savage, and made sure he told me where you were. Save me the trouble of searching the woods for half the night."</p><p>"Oh..." she cringed, not realising that her friend had spent that long looking for her, "I guess you found Natsu then." she assumed and the Princess nodded.</p><p>"I did." she confirmed, before scrunching up her lips, "Are you close with that woman?"</p><p>"She helped me." she simply put it, "She and Haru both did."</p><p>"I apologise for taking her captive. It was only necessary because she refused to give your location." she admitted, and the acrobat cringed.</p><p>"I didn't really explain that you were my friend." she admitted, "Aang and the others knew that, but I couldn't tell them I was friends with a Princess. They'd never trust me."</p><p>"You did what you had to." she observed, "As did I." she emphasised, before her expression became colder, "I went to the village you had been staying in, Ganggu, and spoke with the Intelligence Service officers there. I figured out what had gone wrong, and explained the situation to them... they seemed regretful of their actions, and I decided to restrain myself from punishing them." she admitted, speaking as if she had wanted to beat them to a pulp for what they had done to Ty Lee; she was almost a little surprised by that, given that Azula hadn't ever tried to beat somebody up in her name, though she really hadn't had much of a reason to.</p><p>"Oh, so you didn't beat anybody up?"</p><p>"Well, none of them." she admitted, "The garrison commander, however, I did thrash, for your honour and dignity. I heard how he had treated you, and I couldn't just let him get away with it."</p><p>"Uh... thanks." she sheepishly smiled, feeling a bit awkward discussing her friend beating up some random soldier for her sake, "And then you went to find me?"</p><p>"Yes." she nodded, "And all I found was a middle-aged woman at a campsite, alone." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes, "She refused to cooperate, and I took her back to Tetsuwan with me, assuming that you had pranced off with the Avatar to go do something illegal, which I later found out was the case." she explained, before pointing toward her, "Why did you think it was a good idea to break into a prison rig?" she questioned her friend, who cringed, realising that she'd now have to answer for what she had done.</p><p>"I'm..." she began, before realising, she really didn't want to apologise, "I'm not sorry." she admitted, "I'm sorry for evading you, but not for freeing those earthbenders. It was unfair for them to be taken to that rig- their country has already lost the war. That can't be fair."</p><p>"It doesn't matter what's fair... not right now." she warned her, "What you did was highly illegal. If people catch on to your involvement, you'll be declared a fugitive by the army, and even if my uncle can intervene and pardon you, I don't think that'll stop some spiteful chauvinists from attacking you."</p><p>"And do you think it was wrong, Azula?" she decided to ask, "I know you don't really like the other nations, but you know the war's over. I don't think anybody wants to see people locked up in camps just because they might be a danger because of something they can't even control."</p><p>"Nobody chooses to be born a bender, that is true." she conceded, before narrowing her eyes, "I know that better than you might think." she warned her, before sighing, "The earthbenders aren't my enemies, anyway. I let them run off and do what they like, though I secured the evacuation of the garrison troops in Tetsuwan."</p><p>"But, do you think they should be in prison?" she reframed her initial question, not having gotten a sufficient answer; the Azula she knew held no great love for the Earth Kingdom, so she wanted to know if she had annoyed her friend by forcing her to tolerate their freedom.</p><p>"They should have never been there to begin with." she admitted plainly, with no spite or anger in her voice, "That was not the purpose of our 'great mission', after all." she explained, sounding surprisingly sarcastic in her emphasis on their nation's key foreign policy.</p><p>"Uh..." she mumbled, realising that Azula's point of views might have shifted a little since they last properly spoke, "You're saying you... you don't even agree with Fire Lord Sozin's mission anymore?"</p><p>"No, I don't." she confirmed, before running a hand through her hair, "But, we're not here to talk about ideals and the War, Ty Lee, we're here to talk about solving the problems facing us."</p><p>"Your father's plans." she spoke of what she was referring to; it was a problem that Ty Lee had perhaps underestimated a little until Mai's second letter and the attack on the circus.</p><p>"Yes." the Princess confirmed, before raising a hand to her cheek, "I hate this is what it has come to."</p><p>"That you have to fight against your dad?" she asked, her friends eyes falling down to the table, clearly seeming uncomfortable with the suggestion.</p><p>"I know I can't side with him." she gave her thoughts, "I was taught to never accept dishonour, and so, I won't." she emphasised, making the acrobat narrow her eyes, realising that she was referring to something Ozai himself had said.</p><p>"But didn't he say that?"</p><p>"He breaks his own principles." she stressed, "That's why I can't trust him."</p><p>"And... and he tried to kill Mai and Zuko." she told him the fact of the matter, and Azula nodded.</p><p>"I know." she confirmed, "I got the letter." she explained, before pulling a document out from underneath the table; she handed it to Ty Lee, who eyed what looked like an ordinary letter.</p><p>However, she quickly realised it wasn't, as she noticed that the sender was her; she hadn't written the letter, and she was confused by what it was talking about- somebody had imitated her, and it was a little creepy how well that they had done it. She realised, however, it had to have been Mai who had sent the letter, seeing that Azula had come to see her.</p><p>"What does this mean?" she asked, "Is there a code or something?"</p><p>"There is." her friend smirked, "The Avatar's Water Tribe friend, Sokka, helped me decode this letter."</p><p>"Oh... this is what they mentioned." she recalled, before eyeing it, "What does it actually say?"</p><p>"Approximately it says: your father tried to kill us, Mai and Zuko. The Avatar is the only hope, and you need to see Ty Lee." she explained, before raising her hands up, "And now, you're sitting in front of me."</p><p>"But if the letters are destroyed... how can I help you?" she asked her honestly, not really knowing what good she'd be for her friend without the information they could have used against Ozai.</p><p>"We don't need those letters to stop my father." she assured her, "We need to stop any of his supporters from capturing Aang, and eventually, he'll master the elements. Then, we'll turn him against my father, if he's still trying to overthrow my uncle, and we'll destroy him." she explained her intentions rather plainly, Ty Lee blinking a few times.</p><p>"So... why are you so willing to help them?"</p><p>"Because Uncle told me to." she bluntly admitted, which made it sound like she had little agency in the matter; Azula's eyes turned away, suggesting that wasn't the whole story, and Ty Lee reached forward to grasp at her hand.</p><p>"Zula, what is it?" she asked her.</p><p>"I'm Avatar Roku's great-granddaughter." she told her friend, whose eyes widened as she almost jumped back in shock.</p><p>"You're what?" she questioned, doubting such a thing could even be possible, "How? Wh-what- that's crazy."</p><p>"That's exactly how I reacted when Uncle told me." she nodded, "I'm glad you agree with my sentiment... but it's true." she admitted, not sounding pleased by the fact, "My mother being Roku's granddaughter is the reason she married my father." she explained, "It was all planned."</p><p>"Your- you and Zuko." she mumbled, realising that she was implying their entire existence came down to the fact somebody wanted Avatar blood in the royal family, "Who even decided that?"</p><p>"Grandfather." she clarified, before narrowing her eyes, "I would have asked him about it if he was still alive."</p><p>"When you say ask... you make it sound more like you'd interrogate him." she admitted, the Princess chuckling at her suggestion.</p><p>"Well, you're not wrong." she conceded, "Interrogating the Fire Lord doesn't sound like the smartest idea, however."</p><p>"I'm..." she began, unsure what to say to all that, "What are we doing now?" she asked, Azula placing her hands together.</p><p>"You're going to tell me everything you can about Mai and Zuko, and then, when the time comes, we can assist them." she explained, "The Avatar isn't my only concern. My brother seems to be the only one who has witnessed whatever conspiring my father has done first hand."</p><p>"I think that's true." she confirmed her suspicions, "Mai said that Zuko had been looking around, and learned about the plot, and then, he was attacked when he tried to follow his father's body-double." she explained, the Princess furrowing a brow.</p><p>"So that's how it happened?" she asked, her friend grimacing.</p><p>"Y-yeah, they both got attacked around the same time, but were able to escape to the catacombs under the city, before they started hiding out in the port town." she explained, the Princess furrowing a brow.</p><p>"So, did Mai say where they were going?"</p><p>"Shu Jing." she clarified, "That's where she said they intended to go, though I think she said something about getting to Iroh as well."</p><p>The Princess raised a hand to her cheek, before nodding, "Shu Jing, that's where my brother learnt how to use his dao. From... Master Piandao, I think."</p><p>"Piandao?" she blinked a few times, recalling that name from stories she had been told at school, "Isn't that the guy who fought off a hundred soldiers at once?"</p><p>"That is him." she confirmed, before narrowing her eyes, "That's a bit out of the way for us to reach." she conceded, "But we could go there on the way back from the North Pole."</p><p>"Sorry... the North Pole?" she asked, before realising that she was referring to following Aang and his friends all the way there; that was where he would have to learn waterbending, after all, "So you're following them all the way there? That's pretty far."</p><p>"Not in my ship." she assured her, "And the sky-bison is quite fast, so we'll have to stay at sea most of the time." she admitted, before shaking her head, "But things aren't going to be easy. Even if Uncle goes to the capital, Father's men will still try to get rid of the Avatar."</p><p>"And we can stop them." she assured her, "I mean, you're the greatest firebender ever." she grinned at her, and Azula smirked, giving off the same old golden aura of confidence she was used to.</p><p>"That I am."</p>
<hr/><p>Standing in a poorly-lit, small dungeon, Fire Lord Iroh eyed the one person he could presently question as to why he had almost died. He didn't really need to ask as for their exact aims, as they were clear enough, but their motivations were of some interest, as was any information he could glean off the sailor who was fearful enough to jump off the side of a ship, ironically only a minute before he was forced to do the same thing. The Dragon of the West was sitting on a wooden chair he'd dragged inside the dungeon, and sat facing directly toward the prisoner, who was sitting, dishevelled and unmotivated to say or do anything.</p><p>"I will give it to you." the Fire Lord raised a finger toward the prisoner, "Your superior almost got me." he conceded, "Commander Kinshu's trick wasn't what I was expecting."</p><p>"And yet here we are." the prisoner grumbled, "I'm in prison, and you're alive."</p><p>"Dozens of sailors and half my Imperial Firebenders are dead because of that trick." he retorted, clenching his fist at the thought of what they had done to his men; he didn't want to get angry, but he couldn't help himself, "That is something I ought to be punishing you for... but I am a merciful man... perhaps you think I'm too merciful." he conceded, and the prisoner snickered at his comment, suggesting Iroh was about right with his assumption, "So, am I right?"</p><p>"You're close enough." the prisoner conceded, turning his eyes up to meet those of the Fire Lord, "We won't stop." he warned him, "You believe that evading two explosions will be enough? You're a fool."</p><p>"I never said I thought this was over." he admitted, lighting some flames in his hand, which lit up the dungeon, "It won't be over until my brother is dead and the traitors have been outed, and the world saved from anymore needless conflict."</p><p>"So, you are willing to act." he observed, pursing his lips, "Perhaps they were wrong about you."</p><p>"I am the Dragon of the West." he reminded him, "I did not live my life a pampered Prince, politicking in the palace. I am a warrior who knows what fights to pick, and who should receive my mercy. My brother, he is not one of those people." he warned him, and the prisoner raised his chin.</p><p>"Hmph." he mumbled, "Perhaps you are right... but that doesn't matter now." he conceded, seeing his point about his brother's inadequacy as a potential Fire Lord, "The Fire Nation will be saved from your ignorant aspirations, your majesty." he spoke up, perhaps trying to prod him into attacking him; Iroh didn't want to, even if part of him was riling up in rage over what had happened.</p><p>"I am not here to hurt you, but I recommend you tell me everything you can about this conspiracy." he explained his intentions, "That will make things a whole lot easier for you."</p><p>"Are you going to torture me?" he asked, sounding clearly skeptical of that, and the Fire Lord shook his head; he couldn't stomach torturing a man, especially when he was trying to stop people from being hurt.</p><p>"No, but my remaining Imperial Firebenders have a bone to pick, and by that I mean they'll be breaking yours." he warned him, "I'd say they're rather justified, so I won't stop them from beating you to a pulp."</p><p>The prisoner's eyes widened, seeming a little intimidated by his exposition, "And... and what happens to me?"</p><p>"Some labour camp, somewhere in the colonies, I assume." he gave his best assumption on what would be done with him, once he was formally court martialled, "You're not Boiling Rock material, I'm afraid." he conceded, "No matter your crimes." he added, the prisoner letting out a laugh.</p><p>"Then what reason do I have to give up my knowledge?" he asked, and the Fire Lord stood up from his chair.</p><p>"Because I am going to win this fight no matter what, and you would be best to let it end quickly." he suggested, "For the greater good of the Fire Nation."</p><p>"I think we have different opinions on what that is, your majesty." he warned him, before crossing his arms, "Why should I give up my knowledge while the Prince has a chance of victory?"</p><p>"Because every moment we spend fighting each other makes things more unstable in the Earth Kingdom. If they break out into open revolt, countless lives could be at stake. The world could be thrown back into a bloody war, and we would have no basis to start peace negotiations." he explained what he thought would most likely occur, "Peace is my aim, not letting the Earth Kingdom win. You must understand that. There are no winners in this war, only losers."</p><p>"No, we have won." the prisoner retorted, "You're just too full of your ideals to see that our victory was the right thing. Fire Lord Sozin's great vision is finally about to come true, and you want to take that away from us all."</p><p>"You misunderstand my intentions." he argued, "I do not want to give up my grandfather's vision; to the contrary, I want to fulfil it, but just not in the same heinous and devastating way my brother wants to. An age of peace and prosperity shall come about, and our nation will only become stronger from it."</p><p>"I don't believe you." he narrowed his eyes at the Fire Lord, "I've heard about your plans. They don't sound like a victory worth fighting for."</p><p>"That's just your opinion." he retorted, before pointing toward the prisoner, "So tell me who else is helping my brother, or otherwise, I'll call on my guards." he demanded, offering him the chance to give up any information he had before he let the Imperial Firebenders lose, "I don't take this lightly, but I almost died, you understand that." he warned, and the prisoner grimaced, obviously realising that he wasn't just trying to intimidate him; despite how much he abhorred it, Iroh would tolerate torture only if it would save his men's lives.</p><p>"Sh-shit." he mumbled under his breath, glancing back up at him with a small smirk, which wasn't a good sign, "You really want to know?" he asked him, before chuckling, "Colonel Bao."</p><p>The Fire Lord tensed up, and turned to face the door, knowing that to be the name of the man running the very base he was standing it.</p><p>"That can't be true." he refused his claim, "He would have tried to harm me before this." he argued, and the prisoner shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"Well, I don't know if he will try to hurt you." the prisoner conceded, "But stop you from achieving your goals... probably." he gave his thoughts, before chuckling, "So go on, your majesty. Go apprehend the traitor."</p><p>"I don't have much reason to believe Bao is really a traitor." he argued, "He hasn't done anything against me yet."</p><p>"If you don't believe me, have a little look around." he suggested, and Iroh clenched his fists, knowing that couldn't be all he knew.</p><p>"There's other traitors." he retorted, "Others conspiring with my brother. Tell me who." he demanded, and the prisoner shrugged his shoulders.</p><p>"I gave you a name. That should be enough."</p><p>"All the names you know." he emphasised his aim, and the prisoner aloofly smiled.</p><p>"How about no?" he prodded him, perhaps wanting the Fire Lord to attack him so that he could be knocked out, and no longer pose a threat in giving up his brother's secrets.</p><p>"Fine then." he raised his chin up, before turning to face the door of the dungeon; he made a whistle, and the door opened up, a few of his guards stepping inside, some of them bandaged from the explosion, while others were almost fine, if it weren't for the shock they had received from the explosion, "He's all yours." he gave them the word, and he strode past them, before placing his hand on one of their shoulders, "Where are the others now? Those that can walk, I mean."</p><p>"Just in the mess hall, your majesty." he clarified, "Did you get anything?"</p><p>"We'll see." he narrowed his eyes, glancing around to see the cell door be unlocked, the prisoner scampering back in fear.</p><p>"W-wait!" he exclaimed out in fear, "I told you a name! You said if I told you-" he began to frantically call out to the Fire Lord, perhaps hoping he'd tell his guards to hold back; he wouldn't, and he continued pacing toward the door with a slight limp, a result of the burns he had received.</p><p>"That's not enough." one of the guards snarled at him, before covering his hands in flames, "You don't get out of this so easy."</p><p>Iroh turned around, not wanting to watch what was to follow, and he closed the door of the dungeon behind him, muffling the sound of the prisoner's scream.</p><p>"I hate this." he grumbled under his breath, before making his way down the hallway, heading in the direction of the mess hall where his guards would be; he needed their help for what would come next.</p><p>He couldn't act against Bao without proof, as even if he was Fire Lord, acting without evidence against a potentially innocent man would make him just as bad as some of the most heinous men in the Fire Nation military who he despised. When Iroh reached the end of the hallway, he turned right, making his way down the main hall of the building, where a few men were standing, chatting amongst themselves, though they immediately quietened upon realising they were in the presence of the Fire Lord. He approached the door into the mess hall, which he pushed open, glancing in to see a number of soldiers eating their dinners, and in one corner, he could see his guards eating their meals, most of them with bandages covering some part of their body. The chatter in the room quietened, just as it had in the hallway, although once he approached his guards, the volume increased once more.</p><p>He sat himself down with his guards, who were surprised by his presence, and one of them turned to address him, "Your majesty, did anything come of the interrogation?"</p><p>"We'll see." he gave a purposefully vague answer, "I was told something I find hard to believe, so we will just have to do some investigating ourselves."</p><p>"Of course, sir." one of the guards acknowledged his words, "Should we go now?"</p><p>"No, I'll let you finish your meals before we go." he allowed, not wanting them to go hungry after all that had happened to them.</p><p>Crossing his arms, the Fire Lord glanced to his side, eyeing the soldiers who were eating at the mess hall; all of them seemed to be on edge, and not just because their monarch was sitting with them, but because of the explosion that had sunk a whole Fire Navy ship and killed its commanding officer, as well as a large swathe of its crew. He sympathised with their plight, realising that because they were in his presence, they were always in danger of being caught in the crossfire of another assassination attempt.</p><p>This was the first one Iroh had experienced at the hands of a member of the military, and he doubted it would be the last, though, he could tell that everyone was far more concerned, now that he had revealed what had happened. He had already had letters sent out to warn every leading officer in the military of his brother's actions, and though he lacked much evidence, given that Kinshu was dead, and his accomplice probably wouldn't give up any more information to indict Ozai. Colonel Bao had reacted frantically when the Fire Lord climbed up onto the pier, dishevelled, shocked, but still alive, and he wondered if the prisoner's claim was true; the Colonel could be a member of the conspiracy, but if he was, he'd need to find some actual evidence to confirm his guilt. He could not trust the words of a traitor, even if he seemed to be telling the truth.</p><p>"Your majesty." one of the guards spoke up, sounding nervous, "Will we return to the capital?"</p><p>"Soon." he assured him, "I cannot travel by ship now if there is a chance conspirators are going to sink our ship." he warned, and the guards nodded, understanding his reasoning.</p><p>"This is far worse than I thought it'd be." another admitted, "Back when we came ashore, I thought it was just a group of assassins, hired by some agitator who wanted to get rid of you. The assassin was powerful, but he wasn't unkillable. You can't fight- well, half the military."</p><p>"I don't know who is part of the plot." he conceded, "We cannot believe that everyone is part of it, but we cannot judge them innocent without any further investigation."</p><p>"Is that what we'll be doing, sir? Finding out if somebody's a traitor?" he asked, referring to what he had mentioned when he sat down at the table.</p><p>"Yes." he nodded, glancing toward the other soldiers at the mess hall, curious if they were eavesdropping; they didn't seem to be paying that much attention, so he turned back toward his men, "We will find if there are any more traitors at the base, and if there is, we will make sure they don't threaten anyone's lives."</p><p>The Fire Lord watched as the guards finished off their meals, and he rose up to his feet, and they did the same; he began pacing towards the door that he entered through, pushing it open and glancing behind himself, eyeing the onlookers who watched his guards follow. They made their way through the door, and he glanced toward some of the soldiers who he had noticed talking earlier, realising that he ought to ask where Bao's office was, as he had yet to visit it.</p><p>"Excuse me." he spoke up, catching their attention at once, "I need to speak with the Colonel about something. Could you give me directions to his office?" he asked, and one of them pointed down the hallway.</p><p>"It's on the first floor, up the stairs down there. You'll find it at the end of the main hallway, your majesty." he explained, sounding nervous in front of him, the Fire Lord smiling at him, before turning to walk that way.</p><p>"Thank you." he waved to the soldiers, his guards following after him as he made his way toward the stairwell; when he reached it, he noticed a soldier pacing down the stairs, who immediately halted upon realising the Fire Lord was looking him in the eyes.</p><p>He bowed toward him for a moment, "Your majesty." he addressed him, before striding past; one of the Imperial Firebenders grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from running, and Iroh turned around.</p><p>"Why are you in such a rush, son?" he asked him, genuinely wanting to know; if there was more news he needed to hear, then he'd like to get it as quickly as possible.</p><p>"The Major asked me to get something for him." he explained, "I need to be quick, because he told me it was important." the soldier stressed, obviously wanting to get out of the grasp of the intimidating Imperial Firebenders.</p><p>"What did you get?" one of the guards asked, already on point.</p><p>He reached into his belt and showed some keys, "Just these keys." he explained, and Iroh furrowed a brow, not finding that to be the most suspicious thing, though the soldiers demeanour was perhaps a little suspect.</p><p>"Well, carry on then." Iroh told him, his guards letting the soldier go on free, and he paced on down the hallway with haste; instead of continuing up the stairs, he watched the soldier until he approached the door out of the building, and he pointed in his direction.</p><p>"One of you, follow him and find out what he's actually doing. I have a feeling something's up." he ordered his guards, and one of them immediately ran down the hall without a moment's hesitation, tailing after the soldier; the Dragon of the West turned his eyes to the stairs, reminded of what he was actually there to do, before he paced on up, his Imperial Firebenders following after him as he made his way around the stairwell and to the first floor.</p><p>He strode down toward what he was told was the Major's office, and when he reached the door, he first checked if it was locked or not; he realised that the soldier they had just spoken to might have had the Major's keys, and taking them might have helped. He knew that would have been too suspicious, so Iroh decided that his choice was right; he reached to the lock on the door, before creating a torch on his index finger, using the flame to cut into the metal lock, not trying to melt it, but simply soften it enough that he could break the lock with brute force. Most steel used in Fire Nation constructions was too strong for firebenders to cut with ease, but bend and shatter was another thing entirely.</p><p>"Sir, is the door locked?" one of the guards asked, and he nodded as he took a deep breath, intensifying the heat of the torch.</p><p>He noticed that the metal lock began to glow a dim red around the edge, and he turned back before gesturing to the door, "Break it open." he ordered the guards, who nodded, before three of them moved into form as Iroh stepped out of the way; he watched with interest as they created a ball of fire between them, using their collective bending to hold it in place and aim it toward the door as it gathered heat, becoming brighter and brighter with every following breath.</p><p>Then, they let the fireball loose, and it crashed into the door, the heat of the flames deflected by their firebending as the door burst open, slamming hard as it spun around its hinges, smacking into the wall. The Dragon of the West stepped into the room, eyeing around the office, which was quite clean and orderly, barring the few papers thrown into the air by the explosive fireblast his guards had just created.</p><p>"Look around for any letters in here that are unmarked especially. If it's not an official communication, then it might be a letter from one of the other conspirators." he explained to his men, who nodded, before filing on into the office, following after Iroh.</p><p>He knelt down in front of one of the cabinets, which he pulled open and glanced into; there was a plethora of papers, and he flicked his hands through them, checking them for seals and markings that would look out of place. Bao commanded a navy port, so anything from anybody outside of the army and navy would seem suspect, and even then, there could be many in both branches of the military associated with the plot. He looked at each of the letters briefly, noting that most of them were reports concerning the movement of troops around the Earth Kingdom, especially to Omashu, which had been the primary focus of the army for the past few months.</p><p>Nothing seemed out of place, though one letter did catch his eye, and not because it was suspicious; it was a letter from his niece, presumably not long after he had been attacked by the assassins. Iroh glanced at it for a moment, and noted how it requested Bao's support to search for him once she arrived; the Fire Lord narrowed his eyes, and turned back to face the guards, knowing that some of them might be able to provide an answer to a question he now had.</p><p>"Did my niece receive any support from Colonel Bao's forces when she came here?" he asked the guards, all of which nodded to confirm that as fact.</p><p>He narrowed his eyes, knowing that if he had refused to support her, that would have come off as being far more suspicious. He put the letter back into the cabinet, before continuing to look through the rest; he didn't find anything of interest in the cabinet, and closed it shut, turning to face his guards, who were looking in every nook and cranny to try and find any letters. One of them was looking through the papers on the Colonel's desk, and raised one paper up.</p><p>"Your majesty, I believe this might be something important." the guard clarified, before handing him the document; Iroh scanned down it, and furrowed a brow, noting it was an ordinary letter from the Intelligence Service, the kind of report that he saw regularly during his time in the army.</p><p>The report's contents discussed the potential threats toward him, the Fire Lord, and suggested that the Colonel, and any members of the military who received the report, to be cautious concerning the Fire Lord's exact location and movement plans, given the threat that assassins or saboteurs could pose. Iroh understood why the letter had been sent, though the fact that Bao had not mentioned it when they first spoke was suspect, and that he had called on Commander Kinshu to ferry the Fire Lord back to the homeland. The Fire Lord had never specifically requested anyone come to help him, and only sent a letter to Bao, as he was the one who had been housing his Imperial Firebenders and his ship's crew; that meant that he must have been the one to call on the Commander, as he was the only one with the knowledge to do so.</p><p>"Keep searching." he reiterated his order, knowing that the document he had just seen did not do much but make the Colonel seem reckless.</p><p>He eyed around, before turning to one of the shelves in the office, where the Colonel had a few scrolls lying about, and he reached to pick one up; taking it into his hands, he unfurled the scroll, and looked at it, noting that it was a firebending scroll, showing the forms used to create what was commonly called a fire tornado, which was almost an airbending-like form, from what Iroh understood of that element. He put the scroll back, taking the next one down and opening it up, and saw that one was a scroll that detailed the report of a battle that he had never even heard of, occurring over two decades ago.</p><p>It was an unusual thing for the Colonel to have a scroll of, though it was less suspicious and more intriguing; he wondered what exactly was of interest about the battle, and scanning over the report, all he could see was that it had been a massive Fire Nation defeat, with their forces shattered by a pincer attack from ambushing Earth Kingdom forces. As he was about to put the scroll back, he heard a booming noise in the distance, almost like thunder, though when he paced to the window, he noted that the sky was clear, but a few moments later, another explosion occurred, though it was clearly a lot smaller than the kinds he had experienced the day prior.</p><p>"What the-" one of the Imperial Firebenders mumbled, and Iroh put the scroll back on the shelf, realising that what was going on could have had something to do with the soldier who had run past them earlier; he heard more explosions go off, and pointed to the door, knowing that they couldn't waste any more time.</p><p>"We need to get down to the dock." he declared, and the guards immediately stopped their searching, following after him as he stepped out the door, heading straight for the staircase; he raced down the stairs, and noticed a few more of his guards running down the hallway to his right, obviously coming from the prison.</p><p>"Your majesty!" one of them called to him, "Do you know what's going on?"</p><p>"There's explosions on the ships, and we're going to find out why." he explained, the guards looking at him with concerned expressions.</p><p>"S-sir." one of them mumbled, before gesturing back toward the prison, "The prisoner kept screaming about some trap. Could this be it?" he asked, and the Fire Lord narrowed his eyes.</p><p>"I don't know." he admitted, before he dashed down the hallway toward the front door of the building, which he thrust open before glancing around the courtyard; he could see smokestacks coming off of the ships, and continued to hear more explosions, occurring in a worryingly predictable pattern.</p><p>The Fire Lord began running as fast as he could, making his way towards the entrance of the base, where the gates were already open; he and his Imperial Firebenders ran out, and turned to run down toward the docks, where he saw a number of soldiers congregated, and he spotted a few men running up the length of the pier, presumably having something to do wit the explosions. He could see Colonel Bao with a few of his men, standing before one of Iroh's Imperial Firebenders, the one he had sent out to follow the soldier. The guard was on his knees, and turned around, his bruised and battered face forming a smile as he realised his comrades and superior were there to help him.</p><p>"Oh, you're fucked now." he warned the Colonel's men, one of whom tried to firebend at him; the Imperial Firebender rolled back to dodge the flames, and his comrades moved into form, ready to firebend at the soldiers.</p><p>The Dragon of the West narrowed his eyes as he continued his approach; Bao turned around, having been looking at the explosions as they went off, and he took form alongside his men, and the Fire Lord sighed, realising that they would be having a fight.</p><p>"This was inevitable." the Colonel spoke up, before smirking, "You can't escape now." he declared proudly, the Fire Lord approaching his injured guard, and offered him a hand.</p><p>"Son, are you alright?" he asked, and the guard grimaced before rising to his feet with Iroh's help.</p><p>"Not really." he conceded, before stumbling over toward his comrades, obviously not wanting to fall in the line of fire.</p><p>The Dragon of the West turned his gaze to the Colonel, unamused by what had occured, though he realised that he had put himself in a rather difficult situation, with a group of Imperial Firebenders and the Fire Lord himself standing in his own path of escape.</p><p>"Blowing up the engines of the whole flotilla?" he assumed what the Colonel was doing, cringing from the sound of another explosion, "You fool." he retorted, moving into a fighting stance as he glared his opponent down, "You're the one who can't escape."</p><p>The Colonel scoffed, before taking his own firebending form, "Long live the Fire Nation." he declared his intentions clearly, and the Dragon of the West decided he'd refrain from giving mercy, knowing what came next.</p><p>Iroh spun his hands around, beginning to generate a lightning bolt, and the Colonel must have realised this, as he dashed at the Fire Lord, aiming to tackle him before he could let the bolt loose. The Imperial Firebenders shot out fire streams toward him, and Bao's men did the same toward them, creating an accidental wall of flames between them, the Fire Lord aiming his lightning bolt where he imagined the Colonel's feet to be. He let the lightning bolt loose, tearing through the wall of fire, and blasting the Colonel right off his feet.</p><p>Iroh strode forward, bending the wall of flames apart, and when the Colonel's men tried to firebend at him, he simply shot out a volley of fire bolts, striking each of them in the chest and throwing them back. Approaching Bao, who was frantically trying to shoot a fire stream at him, he weaved about, dodging his attack before jabbing him in the gut with a bolt of flames. When the Colonel's men tried to attack him, he spun his hands around to disperse their flames, before his Imperial Firebenders did the rest of the work for him, beating them with a flurry of fire blasts, a few of them getting knocked out at once by bolts to the head.</p><p>"You'll never win!" the Colonel snarled at him, before throwing his hands up to bend walls of flames to either side of them, before spinning his hands around to draw the flames closer to the Fire Lord.</p><p>He raised his own hands up, holding the fire off, forcing it away from his body as he eyed the Colonel with a calm glare, "I already have." he simply refused his claims, before punching the Colonel in the gut with a fire bolt. He grunted as he stumbled back, throwing his hands forward to try and create another wall of flames; he was successful, surprising the Fire Lord with the potency of his bending, though it didn't help him much as Iroh simply drew the heat from the fire, ripping it apart as he stepped through it.</p><p>His frantic expression shifted to one of fury as he tried to send another fire stream into his opponent's head, and the Dragon of the West just grabbed him by the wrist, holding his flames only an inch away from his head, "So much anger for so little gain." he sighed, before punching the Colonel square in the nose, throwing him down to the ground; his flames dissipated after the hit, and Iroh turned his gaze back toward his men.</p><p>"We're taking a steamer, and we're leaving this port for good." he declared, and he heard a gasp come out from the Colonel, who mustn't have considered sabotaging those as well, "What, you forgot about those? My friend, you really didn't think this through." he chided him, before shooting a fire blast right into his head, throwing it back into the stone pier, which knocked him out cold.</p><p>He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing the guards victorious over the Colonel's men, some of which they'd just tossed off of the pier and into the water; he wanted to laugh at how easily they won, but he was far more concerned by the fact Bao was part of the conspiracy right under his nose, and he hadn't bothered to properly vet him or his men.</p><p>"How frustrating." he mumbled under his breath as he approached the nearest ship, upon which the sailors looked down at the Fire Lord with concern, "I'll be taking your steamer." he declared his intentions, and the sailors saluted him at once; his guards approached him, and glanced up and down the pier, clearly concerned they could be attacked again.</p><p>"What are we going to do, your majesty?"</p><p>"Get our things and the other guards. We'll take a steamer, and just hope another traitor doesn't catch us."</p>
<hr/><p>The morning sun made the sea around Azula glitter brightly, patches of darkness made by the overhanging clouds, giving her eyes a bit of reprieve from the brightness. The Princess didn't think it was that pretty, however, mostly standing outside so she could get a little bit of fresh air, standing on the balcony of her ship's bridge. Ty Lee was standing beside her, with new bandages and some nicer looking clothes than the drab Earth Kingdom attire she had been wearing before; her friend wasn't actually in that good of a mood, and she assumed that had to do with what happened in Tetsuwan. She hadn't been able to get the letters to Azula, and now, they only had their word to use against Ozai, if that was what it came to.</p><p>"Are we going to do some exercises or something?" her friend asked her, before furrowing a brow, "I thought you were really into that firebending regime you had back at home." she reminded her of what Lo and Li had made her do every day, and she couldn't help but sigh.</p><p>"Thankfully, I don't have to do that anymore." she admitted, before making a small smile, thinking that doing some exercises might get her mind off of the almost inevitable civil war that was bound to come about, no matter if she kept the Avatar from her father's hands or not.</p><p>"Oh, really?" her friend asked, stepping over to the railing she was leaning on, joining her in leaning forward over the sheer drop down onto the deck of her ship, "I'm sure Lo and Li aren't going to be happy about that."</p><p>"I don't have to worry about them anymore." she explained, Ty Lee's expression shifting to one of confusion.</p><p>"What?" she mumbled, "Are they not on the ship?"</p><p>"They're probably off holidaying in the Fire Nation colonies, given the salaries they received from my father." she half-joked, sure that they wouldn't dare return to the capital, knowing her father would be furious to find they had gotten themselves banished.</p><p>"Holidaying?" she furrowed a brow, sounding understandably confused by her way of phrasing it, so Azula decided to be more blunt about it.</p><p>"I banished them."</p><p>"Oh..." her expression shifted to one of unease, "You always used to joke about stuff like that. I didn't think you were serious."</p><p>"They deserved it." she stressed, gritting her teeth as she recalled what they did, "They destroyed my airbending scroll."</p><p>"Your- why'd you have an airbending scroll?"</p><p>"To prepare to face the Avatar." she explained her reasoning, "I wanted to understand the Air Nomads so I could... make him cooperate."</p><p>"But you're not trying to capture Aang anymore." she observed, and she rolled her eyes, thinking that was a little too obvious.</p><p>"Of course not." she confirmed, "But back when they did it, I had no idea how long it'd take me to find him... I guess I was just lucky he appeared when he did."</p><p>"Uh... yeah." she nodded, before turning to face the entrance back into the bridge, "So, do you want to go do some training, Zula?"</p><p>"I don't have any reason not to." she conceded, "We don't have anything to do on this ship."</p><p>"Other than go to the spa." Ty Lee joked, making her snicker; she did enjoy the spa, but she thought that if they were going to use it, they ought to have done some work so it felt like an actual reward.</p><p>"We can go there after we train." she gave her idea, before she turned her eyes behind them, "I can't be bothered standing here any longer."</p><p>"Me either." her friend agreed with her, and with that, both of them stepped back into the bridge proper, striding past the helmsman without a word, before they made their way to the staircase, and began walking on down towards the deck.</p><p>The two of them made their way down the stairs, and Azula led her friend along, intent on getting down to the main deck of the ship so they could do some training, and so she didn't feel like she was wasting her day away. All that was in her mind otherwise was how she had no control over her present situation, barring the command of the single ship she was sailing in. One of her own Imperial Firebenders had been loyal to her father, despite everything that had happened, and that fact infuriated her, knowing that at any moment she could be betrayed.</p><p>The staircase felt like it was far too long, and she spent a good minute listening to her and Ty Lee's footsteps as they made their way down to the main deck; when they reached the door out to the main deck, she didn't hesitate to push it open, and she eyed the deck, noting that nobody was out at the moment. That was good, as she preferred to spar with Ty Lee by herself, without any of her guards watching, nor any cleaners working around her.</p><p>She gestured ahead of them, indicating to the platform that sat right in front of the superstructure, "Let's go." she told her friend, who furrowed a brow before leaping forward, doing three cartwheels before she stopped upright, turning to face Azula with a giddy look.</p><p>"What are we going to do?" she asked her, and the Princess crossed her arms, unsure exactly what they ought to start with; usually she'd start with some breathing exercises, but they weren't as useful for her friend, who wasn't a firebender.</p><p>"I start with breathing exercises." she explained, before scrunching her lips up, "You could do some stretches. That's the kind of thing you do, right?" she asked, a little unsure what Ty Lee preferred; her unflinching smile suggested that she was about right as her friend crouched down and began to stretch out her right leg.</p><p>"Yep." she confirmed, and Azula moved to sit down across from her, crossing her legs and closing her eyes as she began to slow her breathing, making her breaths long and deep so that she would be best prepared to firebend.</p><p>"So..." her friend mumbled as she moved to stretch the opposite leg, "What do you think of them?"</p><p>"Them?" she mumbled, unsure exactly who she was referring to, "Lo and Li?" she asked, knowing that was the last people they were talking about.</p><p>"No, no, not them. Aang and his friends." she clarified, and Azula shrugged her shoulders as she let out a breath.</p><p>"I don't know them that well." she responded, not wanting to try and give her opinions of them when she really didn't know them; most of her views were formed off of the stereotypes and preformed ideas she had about Water Tribesmen and Air Nomads, the latter being a little better informed due to her research into their culture.</p><p>"I mean, you were with Aang and Sokka both for a while, right?" she asked, the Princess opening her eyes to stare her friend down.</p><p>"And I didn't try to socialise with them, Ty Lee. The first was my prisoner and the second was an unwanted guest who just happened to be useful against my uncle's would-be assassins." she explained her experiences with the both of them, "And I've only had a single conversation with Katara, and she didn't seem to trust me at all."</p><p>"You do like lying, Azula." Ty Lee reminded her as she raised her arms up, stretching them as far up as she could, "But they seemed to believe you." she admitted, "About the training the Avatar thing." she clarified, and the Princess sighed.</p><p>"Oh, that." she recalled, realising that her friend must have talked with the group about a number of things if they spent a few days together, "Well, I wasn't lying about that. Uncle told me to do it, so I will." she stressed, and her friend furrowed a brow.</p><p>"Is your uncle okay? It sounds like he had to deal with a lot of stuff."</p><p>"I don't know." she conceded, "He told me he was going to recover at the camp outside Omashu, but he must be travelling back toward home by now. He got hurt a few times, and I... I should have been more cautious. I let those assassins follow us to Omashu. I should have just travelled with him hidden to the city, then we would have been fine." she admitted her thoughts on the matter, knowing that some of her own mistakes had led to the situation where both their lives had been in danger, and they had had to rely on Sokka's help to stop Sanyan.</p><p>"I mean, it wasn't your fault." she assured her, and Azula took another deep breath, knowing that some of the blame for the turn of events fell at her feet.</p><p>She had been the one who had gone off to find the Avatar instead of remaining in the capital, where she could have helped Zuko and Mai, instead of being off in the Earth Kingdom looking for somebody that really wasn't even her uncle's enemy. She could have advised her uncle to remain in the capital, instead of going to Omashu, and helped him and Zuko root out the conspiracy before it got as far as it did. Ty Lee wouldn't have been in danger then either, because there would have been no letter sent her way.</p><p>"If I hadn't gone to find the Avatar, none of this would have happened. I could have helped Uncle... and Zuko, and we could have stopped Father from doing anything as insane as he did." she gave her thoughts, and her friend grimaced, shaking her head.</p><p>"No, this isn't your fault... really. I know your aura's all muggy today, and I get why... but this isn't your fault. You couldn't have seen this all coming."</p><p>"I could have been wiser." she admitted the truth, as she saw it; she was only fourteen, and it took things like what happened in Tetsuwan, or back in the war-camp, for her to realise how naive she could be.</p><p>She always charged in, feeling that if she acted decisively, and with unwavering determination, she would be victorious, and her enemies would falter before her. It turned out that her enemies just hid from her, and attacked her when she wasn't looking or expecting it, taking advantage of that unwavering motion.</p><p>"I never look behind me." she gave her thoughts, and Ty Lee scrunched her lips up as she flipped around to do a handstand.</p><p>"What?" she mumbled, "What do you mean?" she asked curiously as she looked at her upside down.</p><p>"I'm always thinking I know who my enemies are, and I attack them with precision. Words or firebending, it doesn't matter." she argued, before shaking her head, letting out another deep breath, "But I don't really know who they are; that's the problem. There's people who probably want to stop me from following the Avatar right now, and I have no idea who they are."</p><p>She charged forward, searching for her uncle, travelling to Omashu, finding Ty Lee, but never really stopped to consider what dangers lurked around her, other than the obvious ones that made themselves clear. Sanyan attacked them with explosions from his mind, but her father, he could have anybody on his side, hiding in the shadows, or in plain sight. It scared her, not because she felt like she could be defeated in battle, but because she didn't know who her enemies were, or where they might come from next.</p><p>"Uh, Azula." her friend spoke up, catching her attention as she got down from her handstand, and pointed up behind her; the Princess turned around to notice a messenger hawk approaching the ship in the distance.</p><p>"That's something." she mumbled, "I guess today mightn't be as boring as I thought."</p><p>"Nothing's wrong with boring if you can relax." Ty Lee suggested, before glancing toward the door they had come out of earlier, "Where do you need to go to get the message?"</p><p>"There's a messenger hawk coop around the back of the pagoda." she explained, before getting up from her seated position, and Ty Lee paced on over to the door, which she opened up, tilting her head inside, indicating for the Princess to follow.</p><p>She was a little amused that she was the one leading her around when she didn't know the ship as well as she did, but she held her tongue, just letting her take the lead through the pagoda. They made their way over to the door on the opposite side, leading them out onto a small balcony looking over the engine of the ship, and Azula turned to the left, noting the messenger hawk coop, which was a set of cages set out along the exterior of the pagoda, covered from the elements by the eaves above. She saw the messenger hawk sitting by the entrance of one of the cages, and it had a scroll tied to its back, with a red ribbon, telling her that it was a request for assistance. She approached the animal, and picked up some seeds from the small wooden box hanging below the cage, giving the bird some to appease it while she pulled the message out of the holder.</p><p>"What is it?" Ty Lee asked, and the Princess refrained from opening it, knowing that she ought to follow protocol first, placing some seeds down in one of the cages, which prodded the hawk into entering.</p><p>Once she had closed the cage, she turned back to face her friend, raising the scroll up and indicating to its ribbon, "Red means its a request for help." she explained, before taking the ribbon off and unfurling the piece of paper.</p><p>Glancing down at it, she released from the seal that it was from a navy ship, and she immediately recognised the name and rank; Commander Zhao had sent her the letter. She narrowed her eyes at the document, scanning down it to read its contents as quickly as she could.</p><p>"Commander Zhao is requesting my assistance." she explained to Ty Lee, "He's had a run in with a rogue spirit near a certain Senlin village, which took some of his men, and he says that he believes the spirit might have something to do with the Avatar, who he was tracking through the area." she gave detail to his request, which was interesting, given that she hadn't had to deal with any spiritual matters as of yet on her journey.</p><p>"So, we've got to deal with this spirit and make sure Zhao doesn't catch Aang?" she asked the Princess, who nodded.</p><p>"Precisely." she confirmed, "I assume there's some reason the spirit had been angered, and if we solve that, we might be able to free the Commander's men and make sure the Avatar's group aren't in danger. I doubt Aang angered the spirit, but it's possible he has something to do with this."</p><p>"So, we get to hang out with them again." her friend grinned, "Great. I already miss them."</p><p>"Urgh." she face-palmed, knowing that was not the reason they were going to help Zhao, "We're not going to socialise. We're going to solve the problem and make sure Zhao doesn't make any new ones."</p><p>"Well, that sounds better than sitting around here." she acknowledged, the Princess shaking her head.</p><p>"Trouble isn't good, especially when it involves spirits." she argued, "Do you know anything about spirits?"</p><p>"Uh, that the Fire Sages deal with them." she recalled, "Not really, actually. There's a lot of creepy and weird stories though."</p><p>"Weird is normal when it comes to things like the Avatar and spirits." she gave her observation, before pacing on toward the entrance of the superstructure once again, "We need to tell the helmsman to head to the closest port to this village."</p><p>"And what about our exercises?" she asked, the Princess turning around, realising that her friend might have actually gotten into their exercising, when Azula could only be consumed by worried thoughts.</p><p>"As long as we actually exercise, then we'll do them." she gave her decision, Ty Lee scrunching her lips up as she followed her through the door.</p><p>"Well, I was exercising. You were just sitting there." she argued, and the Princess rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Breath is the basis of all firebending." she told her something that had been drilled into her head too many times.</p><p>"And you breathe doing everything. Firebend and breathe, girl!" she pointed a finger toward her, obviously thinking she shouldn't just be sitting down while doing her breathing exercises.</p><p>"Maybe you're right." she mumbled under her breath as she turned to pace up the stairs, "I can exercise better."</p><p>"That's the spirit." Ty Lee beamed at her, "So, let's go tell this guy where we need to go, so we can actually exercise. I think I'm going to go crazy if we stand around any longer."</p><p>She grimaced, realising that she had a good point; if she wanted to try and get her mind off of her mistakes and the dangers they faced, then just doing something like firebending sets might help her relax. All it really told her was that she didn't have much to do on her ship, and more than anything, that she needed to find more things to do, whether alone or with Ty Lee.</p><p>"I need to get some more hobbies."</p>
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